5th NCGA Women’s Amateur Championship | Spyglass Hill & Poppy Hills GC | July 6-7, 2009
The NCGA Women’s Amateur Championship is the association’s premier event for female golfers. In its short history, the 36-hole stroke play tournament has quickly become a fixture on the competitive calendar due to the caliber of host courses each year.
The tournament record of one-over-par 146 was set in 2007 by back-to-back champion Lynne Cowan at Poppy Hills. The 2008 championship saw an increased number of junior and college players competing, with the top three medalists all being collegiate players.
In 2009, for the first time the Women’s Amateur will be held at both Poppy Hills and Spyglass Hill golf courses. The championship also includes a senior division for players aged 50 and over.
Eligibility Information
Field limited to 76 eligible players in the championship division and 24 players in the senior division. All female golfers with a handicap index of 7.4 or less (or 9.4 or less for seniors) are eligible to enter. Format: 36 holes stroke play (18 holes per day).
Exemptions: All past NCGA Women’s and Senior Women’s Amateur champions receive a 10-year exemption.
Tournament Recaps
Short game was the key for Joanne Lee as she nabbed the NCGA Women’s Championship at Poppy Hills. Lee headed straight for the chipping area after yesterday’s round at Spyglass Hill and it paid off today. The Cal Berkeley junior parred the first five holes of the day and then went on to make birdie at the par-4 8th hole and also the par-5 12th. ”I felt like I could attack the pins more today,” said Lee… Read Full 2009 Recap | View 2009 Photo Gallery
Ki-Shui Liao charged to the biggest victory of her career, capturing the NCGA Women’s Amateur Championship title on Tuesday at Spyglass Hill. The soon-to-be senior at Stanford posted a pair of 79s on what proved to be a tough 6,207-yard layout, to win the championship by a single stroke over Diane Kwon of Fremont Park GC…
Read Full 2008 Recap | View 2008 Photo Gallery
Same setting and outcome, different year. Lynne Cowan claimed her second consecutive NCGA Women’s Championship at Poppy Hills Friday. The battle for first place raged until the final putt. Defending champion Cowan put it all on the line and birdied the 18th hole for a one-stroke victory. With a two-day 146 total, Cowan had just enough to hold off last years runner-up Jenelle Gomez… Read Full 2007 Recap | View 2007 Photo Gallery
Past Champions
| Results | |||
| 2005 | Jenelle Gomez at Poppy Hills | 78-71-149 | |
| 2006 | Lynne Cowan at Poppy Hills | 73-76-149 | |
| 2007 | Lynne Cowan at Poppy Hills | 71-75-146 | |
| 2008 | Ki-Shui Liao at Spyglass Hill | 79-79-158 | |
| 2009 | Joanne Lee at Spyglass Hill & Poppy Hills | 81-73-154 |
About Spyglass Hill GC
Ranked number five on “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses” list by Golf Digest for 2003-2004. Spyglass Hill was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., as a part of the master plan for the Pebble Beach ocean front between Cypress Point and Pebble Beach. Opened in 1966, the design features two distinctly different kinds of terrain that influence the way the holes look and play.
The first five holes roll through sandy seaside dunes challenging the golfer to carefully pick the safest path. The following 13 holes are cut through pine trees with elevated greens and strategically placed bunkers and lakes to grab the errant shot. Spyglass Hill is rated one of the toughest courses in the world from the Championship tees, boasting a course rating of 75.5 and a slope rating of 147. The PGA Tour consistently lists Spyglass Hill’s holes 6, 8 and 16 among the toughest on the tour, and during the 1999 United States Amateur, the stroke average of the field during medal play was in excess of 79.
Spyglass Hill Course Tour | Get driving directions
About Poppy Hills
Poppy Hills is a challenging golf course that weaves through the Del Monte Forest. The venue plays host to many prominent tournaments including the PGA Tour’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, in early February. A 2007 Zagat Survey ranked Poppy Hills the 12th “Most Popular Course” in the U.S, and the layout was named “National Course of the Year” in 2006 by the National Golf Course Owners Association.
The Robert Trent Jones Jr. design opened in 1986 and is the home course for the NCGA. It was the first course in the United States to be owned and operated by an amateur golf association. The par-72 layout measures 6,857 yards from the black tees with a slope rating of 74.3/144. Matt Gogel holds the course record of 62. There are four teeing areas on each hole, making Poppy Hills enjoyable for all levels of play.