August 16, 2024
Just seconds after the results were official, Grand Canyon University sophomore Brenna Preap broke out a huge smile and shared a quick hug with her father, Ronnie.
Preap (pronounced pre-ap) became the third winner of the annual NCGA Women's Amateur Championship, defeating runner-up Alexa Pineda, 3 and 1, Friday at Spyglass Hill. In what was a grueling week, the No.1 seeded Preap went the distance. On Monday, the 19-year-old Stockton native earned medalist honors with an even-par 71 at Poppy Hills.
"It feels great to be champion," said Preap, a former Junior Tour of Northern California member and a Youth on Course alum. "I just tried to keep things steady and not get too excited."
Facing the No.15 seeded Pineda, Preap jumped out to a quick 3-up lead thanks in part to back-to-back birdies on holes Nos. 3 and 4. Pineda, an incoming freshman at Santa Clara University, repaid the favor however on holes No.7 and 8 with birdies of her own to eventually tie things up.
Still tied through 12 holes, Preap again regained a 1-up lead on the 13th when Pineda made bogey. On the ensuing par-5 14th, Pineda made a double-bogey and Preap birdied to make it 2-up.
The two tied holes Nos. 15 and 16 before Preap won No.17 with a par to seal the match.
"I just took it one shot a time," who played the 17 holes at just 1-over par. "With each day at Spyglass, I felt more and more comfortable on the course. I learned how to play on and around the greens."
Earlier in the week, Preap was severely tested not once but twice.
In her opening Round of 16, she escaped with a 1-up win over No.16 Catherine Kim. In the quarterfinals, she needed 19 holes to get by No.9 seed Emma Wang.
There to help Preap navigate the potential danger was Ronnie, her father, who was on the bag as caddie throughout the week.
"It's good to have him there, like a friend on the course," Brenna said. "He helps keep me cool, so I don't get too much into my own head."
August 15, 2024
No.1 seed Brenna Preap is just a win away from making it a sweep at this year's NCGA Women's Amateur. Standing in her way will be No.15 Alexa Pineda.
Preap, a sophomore at Grand Canyon University, punched her ticket to Friday's 18-hole final via a 4 and 2 semifinal win over No.4 Wa Yeung Tong.
Having built a 2-up lead through the first nine holes, Preap, who hails from Stockton, bumped the lead up to three holes on the par-5 11th hole thanks to a birdie. Tong, who goes by Cathy and plays at nearby CSU-Monterey Bay, got a hole back on the ensuing 12th when Preap made a bogey. Following ties on holes Nos. 13 and 14, Preap birdied the short par-3 15th to again go 3-up. A hole later, Tong made a bogey to end the match.
Pineda, a freshman at Santa Clara, pulled off yet another upset to advance to the final after dispatching No.3 seed Kiana Briggs, 3 and 2.
A resident of San Carlos, Pineda grabbed a 2-up lead thanks to a birdie on the 11th. She'd bogey the next hole, letting Briggs again cut the lead to 1-up, but then went on a quick run, making back-to-back birdies on holes Nos. 13 and 14 to make it 3-up. Briggs won the 15th hole, but Pineda then won the 16th following a Briggs bogey to end it.
Pineda started the Round of 16 by eliminating No.2 seed Jiayi Wang.
The 18-hole final will tee off Friday at 7:45 a.m.
August 14, 2024
We are down to the final four players in the 3rd annual NCGA Women's Amateur Championship.
No. 1 seed Brenna Preap and No. 9 seed Emma Wang went 19 holes on Thursday morning.
The Grand Canyon University sophomore was able to pull out the victory and advance to the semifinals.
No. 4 seed Wa Yeung Tong and No. 5 Nicola Kaminski had a back-and-forth match at Spyglass Hill.
Tong, who goes by Cathy, had the shot of the day on the par-4 6th hole. Tong had a sidehill lie from the greenside rough while Kaminski was on the fringe. Tong was able to chip one in to make birdie while Kaminski left her birdie putt a little short.
Tong, a CSU Monterey Bay Otter, added three more birdies to eliminate the San Jose State University fifth-year senior Kaminski, 2 and 1.
Kaminski was looking to win her second NCGA title this year after she took home the NCGA Women's Stroke Play Championship.
On the other side of the bracket, there is a Cinderella story brewing.
No. 15 seed Alexa Pineda continued her championship run with a 5 and 4 victory over No. 7 seed Gabriella Illardi.
Pineda only had three bogeys on the day while Illardi had an adventurous scorecard with two double bogeys, seven bogeys and one birdie. The future Santa Clara University Bronco eliminated Illardi, 5 and 4.
Pineda will be taking on the No. 3 seed Kiana Briggs in the other semifinal match.
Briggs who is a junior at UC Irvine defeated the No. 6 seed Samantha Chiou, 3 and 2.
The semifinal matches will be taking place on Thursday morning at Spyglass Hill. The first semifinal match which features No. 1 seed Brenna Preap and No. 4 seed Cathy Tong will tee off at 8:28 a.m.
The second semifinal match between No. 3 seed Kiana Briggs and No. 15 seed Alexa Pineda will tee off at 8:38 a.m.
August 13, 2024
No. 1 seed Brenna Preap and two other top seeds got through Wednesday's Round of 16 of match play at this week's 3rd annual NCGA Women's Amateur Championship.
Jiayi Wang, the No.2 seed, wasn't as fortunate.
Preap, a sophomore at Grand Canyon University, held on to defeat No.16 Catherine Kim, 1-up thanks to a win on the 18th hole. On 18, Preap made a birdie while Kim, the winner of the 2023 NCGA Women's Mid-Amateur Championship, made a bogey.
As for Wang's early dismissal, the exit occurred after a 6 and 4 loss to No.15 Alexa Pineda. Pineda, a resident of San Carlos, is an incoming freshman at Santa Clara University.
Also picking up wins in the Round of 16 were No.3 Kiana Briggs and No.4 Wa Yeung Tong. Briggs is a junior at UC Irvine, while Tong, who goes by Cathy, is a senior at nearby CSU-Monterey Bay.
Another early winner was No.5 seed Nicola Kaminski, who defeated Ashlyn Johnson, 6 and 5. Johnson, who is deaf, will compete in the upcoming Deaflympics in Australia. Kaminski, a fifth-year senior at San Jose State, is going for the double-double. Earlier this year, she won the NCGA Women's Stroke Play Championship.
Kaminski next will face Tong in Wednesday's quarterfinals, while Preap will take on No. 9 Emma Wang. Wang eliminated Amelia Garibaldi, who was the runner-up at the recent California Women's Amateur Championship.
The other two quarterfinals matches will see Pineda vs. No. 7 Gabriella Illardi and Briggs vs. No.6 Samantha Chiou.
Wednesday's quarterfinals will be held at Spyglass Hill.
August 12, 2024
Grand Canyon University sophomore Brenna Preap came up big in Monday's stroke play qualifying for this week's 3rd NCGA Women's Amateur Championship.
Preap, who hails from Stockton, earned medalist honors and the No.1 seed for match play thanks to a solid even-par 71 at Poppy Hills. Included in her round were six birdies.
Finishing tied for second place at 72 were four players--Nicola Kaminski, Kiana Briggs, Wa Yeung Tong and Jiayi Wang. The No. 2 seed (blind draw) went to Wang, who's currently a junior at Northwestern.
Briggs, a junior at UC Irvine, is the No.3 seed for match play. Kaminsiki, the No.4 seed, will try to add yet another NorCal title to what has been a stellar 2024. Back in June, the fifth-year senior at San Jose State carded a final round 2-over 73 at Poppy Hills to win the annual NCGA Women's Amateur Stroke Play Championship by five strokes over runner-up Sydney Silva. Earlier this year, Kaminski also picked up wins at the San Francisco City and Alameda Commuters.
Silva is the No.14 seed for match play and will open against Briggs.
The No.8 seed is Amelia Garibaldi, who is coming off a runner-up finish at the recent California Women's Amateur Championship. A sophomore at Fresno State, Garibaldi posted a 73 in stroke play qualifying.
Tuesday's action will consist of the Round of 16 at Poppy Hills. On Wednesday, play moves over to Spyglass HIll.