Championship Info/Pairings/Results
August 19, 2022
Cristina Ochoa will head into the 2022-23 NCAA Division I season with a bit of steam behind her.
The 20-year-old junior made history, capturing the title at the inaugural NCGA Women's Amateur Championship after defeating Antonia Malate, 3 and 2, in Friday's fog-shrouded finals at Spyglass Hill.
"It's a great feeling to win this event. Especially being it's the first one," said Ochoa, a native of Bogota, Colombia who came to the States after being recruited by Cal. "It's been a very, very long year of hard work, so it feels very rewarding."
The No.3 seed, Ochoa had to get past No.1 seed Antonia Malate. A fifth-year senior at San Jose State, had entered the week coming off a recent runner-up finish at the California Women's Amateur.
For Ochoa, the difference came early, as she'd build a 3-up lead through the first nine holes thanks in part to a birdie on the par-4 4th. From there, Malate was never able to get closer than 2-up. On the par-3 15th, Ochoa gave herself some extra wiggle room by making birdie.
"I feel that for the week, par was a good score and I did a good of that," Ochoa said. "Getting the chance to play Spyglass Hill was amazing. It's really, really good challenge."
Malate, who had her friend Josh on the bag as caddie, played prep golf at nearby Stevenson School. While she knew the course, in the final a balky putter let her down.
"I just couldn't make any putts, and a lot of my approach shots spun off the greens," said Malate, who has future aspirations of turning pro. "Getting to play Spyglass was a such a treat."
While Malate went with a lucky caddie, so too did Ochoa. Her caddie was Bears teammate Kristine Tran. On Thursday, Ochoa defeated Tran 4 and 3 in the semifinals.
"It was amazing having Kristine on the bag," Ochoa said. "She has a similar game to mine and she knows the course. We had fun and she helped me relax."
Ochoa's win gave the Cal women a sweep in the 2022 majors---Kaylyn Noh won the NCGA Women's Stroke Play, Annika Borrelli won the California Women's Am and Ochoa won the Women's Amateur.
Finals Photo Gallery Here
August 18, 2022
Cristina Ochoa, who's been in search of a big win, will have her chance. Antonia Malate, on the other hand, will be out for a bit of redemption.
Ochoa and Malate will meet in Friday's 18-hole final of the inaugural NCGA Women's Amateur, with one of the two eventually set to make history as the event's first champion.
Ochoa, a junior at Cal-Berkeley and the No.3 seed, earned a spot in the finals with a tidy 4 and 3 win over a familiar foe, Bears teammate Kristine Tran. A red-hot Ochoa played her first nine holes at 2-under par, leading to what became an insurmountable 5-up lead.
A native of Bogota, Colombia who came to the States after being recruited by Cal, Ochoa has been on a tear. Her other match play victories were 5 and 4 and 7 and 6 wins. Tran is a senior at Cal.
"I didn't think it was hard having to play Kristine," said Ochoa, who finished runner-up at this year's NCGA Women's Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Poppy Hills. "It was fun. We had a lot of fun together."
As for the last time Ochoa has tasted victory, it's been so long that she literally can't remember.
"It's exciting to get the chance," she said. "I can finally get a win."
Malate, a fifth-year senior at San Jose State and the No.1 seed, advanced with a tough 3 and 2 win over No.12 Jade Siphomsay. Through the first 11 holes, the largest lead Malate could muster was 1-up. The match broke more open thanks to a pair of Malate birdies on the 12th and 14th holes.
Just a few weeks ago, Malate, who hails from Seaside, was runner-up at the California Women's Amateur Championship. She'd finish second to Annika Borrelli, a fifth-year senior at Cal.
The 18-hole final will tee off at 7:45 a.m. Friday at Spyglass Hill.
Semifinals Photo Gallery Here
August 17, 2022
The monster that can be match play finally raised its head with a few upsets, but two of the top seeds are on their way to the semifinals of this week's NCGA Women's Amateur.
No.1 seed Antonia Malate and No.3 seed Cristina Ochoa were the two survivors, with each winning their quarterfinals matches at Spyglass Hill, 1-up and 7 and 6 respectively. No.2 seed Elizabeth Scholtes and No.4 Gia Feliciano, on the other hand, saw their runs come to end. Scholtes fell 4 and 3 to No.7 Kristine Tran, while Feliciano lost 3 and 2 to No.12 Jade Siphomsay (pictured, above).
Thursday's semifinals will see Malate, a fifth-year senior at San Jose, taking on Siphomsay, who plays at University of San Francisco. The other semifinals match will be an all Bear affair, with Tran, a senior at Cal-Berkeley, taking on her teammate, Ochoa, a junior.
Malate, the runner-up at the recent California Women's Amateur, had her own struggles with a Bear. In her quarterfinals match versus Mika Jin, a junior at Cal, Malate held a 2-up lead through the 16th hole until Jin applied some late pressure with a par win on the 17th. Malate would hold on to win when the two tied the 18th hole with pars.
On the flip side, Ochoa was able to breathe a bit easier. A native of Colombia, Ochoa built a 7-up lead through nine over Katrina Camitoc thanks in part to three birdies.
Both Tran and Siphomsay also never trailed in their matches. Tran built a 3-up lead with a birdie on the 14th and added a par on the 15th to close out Scholtes. Siphomsay, meanwhile, led 3-up through nine but found herself leading only by one after a bogey loss and double-bogey loss on the 10th and 12th holes, respectively.
Simphomsay would bounce back, winning the 14th with a birdie and the 16th with a par to seal the win.
Quarterfinals Photo Gallery Here
August 16, 2022
Now, it's on to Spyglass Hill.
On Tuesday at Poppy Hills, each of the four top seeds advanced thru the Round of 16 of match play to earn spots into the quarterfinals of this week's inaugural NCGA Women's Amateur Match Play Championship.
No. 1 seed Antonia Malate (pictured above), a fifth-year senior at San Jose State, moved on with a 4 and 3 win over No.16 Catherine Kim. Holding only a slim 1-up lead after losing the 9th hole, Malate went on a mini-run, winning holes Nos. 10 and 11 to grab a 3-up lead. Kim cut back into the lead with a win on the 12th hole, but Malate holes 14 and 15 with pars to seal the victory. Only a few weeks ago, Malate finished as runner-up at the California Women's Amateur Championship.
Elizabeth Scholtes, the No.2 seed, also claimed a 4 and 3 win. Playing against Drishti Karumbaya, Scholtes found herself tied through the first 10 holes. But like Malate, she too went on a streak, winning holes No.s. 11 through 14 to take a 4-up lead. During the four-hole run, Scholtes, who plays at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, went 1-under with a birdie and three pars.
Cristina Ochoa, who plays at Cal-Berkeley and is the No.3 seed, had the big win of the day, claiming her match against Danielle Suh, 5 and 4. The No.4 seed, Gia Feliciano, moved on with a tight 1-up win over No.13 Annika Cruz.
Jade Siphomsay, at No.12, is the highest seed remaining in the brackets. She'll next take on Feliciano in Wednesday's quarterfinals. Ochoa will face No.6 seed Katrina Camitoc. Camitoc, who played collegiately at San Jose State, won this year's NCGA Women's Mid-Amateur Championship.
Photo Gallery Here
August 15, 2022
Seaside resident Antonia Malate got things going by hitting the first shot in the history of the NCGA Women's Amateur Match Play Championship. Then, Malate really got cooking.
A fifth-year senior at San Jose State, Malate will be the No.1 seed for match play after posting a stellar 4-under 67 in Monday's stroke play qualifying round at par-71 Poppy Hills. Runner-up at the recent California Women's Amateur, Malate had a wild day. She'd post seven birdies and an eagle on the closing par-5 18th, but she also had three bogeys and a double-bogey (par-3 6th).
The No.2 seed will be another fifth-year senior, Elizabeth Scholtes. Scholtes, who plays at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, posted a round of 69 with four birdies and two bogeys.
Cristina Ochoa, who plays at Cal-Berkeley, and Gia Feliciano, who plays at University of Wisconsin, will be the other top seeds after the two shot rounds of 72.
The cutline for match play came at 7-over 78.
Tuesday's action will feature the Round of 16 of match play, again with play being held at Poppy Hills. Wednesday's quarterfinals, Thursday's semifinals and Friday's final will all be held at Spyglass Hill.
First Round Photo Gallery
The NCGA Women’s Amateur Match Play Championship was created in 2022. The event is held concurrently during annual Match Play Week, which sees the NCGA hosting its other NCGA Amateur championships.