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Handicap Index: +3.0
Monday, April 04, 2022
Will there be a host hotel nearby the 111th Cal Am?
Please advise.
111th California Amateur Championship
June 27 - July 2, 2022, Big Canyon CC
This is one of the nation’s oldest state amateur golf championships. The championship originated in 1912 and was held at Pebble Beach Golf Links from 1919 until 2006. In 2007 the CGA broadened the scope of this prestigious championship by rotating the weeklong event to selected courses throughout the state, alternating between Northern California and Southern California every other year. Players must have an index of 4.4 or less, qualifying is available statewide for both NCGA and SCGA players, players may only attempt to qualify once. The Championship consists of 156 players who will play 36-holes of individual stroke play to determine the 32 player match play field. The final match is played over 36 holes. During the stroke play portion of the tournament a simultaneous team competition takes place between the NCGA vs. SCGA competing for the Roger Latham Cup.
Championship InfoQualifying InfoExemptionsHotelsPlayer Handbook
Noah Woolsey Adds Name To Long List of California Legends
Throughout the week, 22-year-old Pleasanton resident Noah Woolsey kept telling himself to believe. By the time it was over, it happened.
A senior at the University of Washington, the No.2 seed Woolsey erased an early three-hole deficit and came storming back to win the 110th California Amateur Championship over No.4 Wes Payne, 2 and 1, on a hot Saturday at The Preserve Golf Club in Carmel Valley.
Woolsey, who joins a list of California Amateur champions that includes Johnny Miller, Mark O’Meara and two-time winner Bobby Clampett, hadn’t won an event since 2019. Clampett, who grew up in Carmel Valley, was among the spectators taking in the action.
“The whole week, I was just walking down the fairway telling myself, ‘You can do this’, over and over and over. It kind of calmed me down.” said Woolsey, who was rooted on by among others his mom, Miegen, and dad, Phil. “It’s pretty crazy. I had a former California Amateur champ walking down the fairway with me. Just an incredible week.”
A day after earning a spot in the 36-final via a gritty semifinals win on the 21st hole, Woolsey would quickly find himself down three holes after he opened the morning 18 holes with three consecutive bogeys. He’d twice cut the lead back to 1-up, but entered the break down three when Payne responded with a pair of birdies of his own on holes Nos. 16 and 17.
It was time again to just believe.
“My parents and others gave me a lot of encouragement, and I knew there was still a lot of golf left,” said Woolsey, a former member of the Junior Tour of Northern California. “I reminded myself that I had come back in the semifinals and won. So why couldn’t I do that again?”
Through the first four holes of the second 18, Payne, a 31-year-old real estate agent from San Francisco, held firm. But then on both holes Nos. 5 and 6, Payne made bogey after coming up short of the green with his approach and three-putting, respectively. The lead was suddenly just 1-up.
A hole later on the par-4 7th, Woolsey kept the pedal to the metal by holing our from 106 yards for an eagle to tie the match. “When I holed out that flipped things around for sure,” Woolsey said.”It was like all the holes before didn’t matter.”
Still riding the momentum, Woolsey would go on to take his first lead of the match on the 28th) hole (par-4 10th) when Payne’s second shot bounded into the thick rough to the right of the green, leading to another bogey. Suddenly holding his first lead of the match, Woolsey kept it going with a birdie win on the 11th and a par win on the 14th to take a commanding 3-up lead.
Payne, the runner-up at last year’s NCGA Amateur Championship at Spyglass Hill, did cut the deficit back to 1-up with a par win on the 15th and a birdie win on the par-3 16th. But Woolsey yet again refused to give in. On the par-5 17th, still holding a 1-up lead, Woolsey hit a terrific pitch shot from just below the green to within a few feet of the flagstick to save par. Payne, meanwhile, could only watch as his own pitch attempt landed short, rolling back off the green and eventually leading to a bogey.
“I just played bad in the afternoon. There’s no other way around it,” said a dejected Payne afterwards. “I putted awful, and I hit some shots that I didn’t hit all week.”
Woolsey, meanwhile, will head to among other events such as the Pacific Coast Amateur with some extra confidence. And belief in himself. Earlier in the week, he was as member of Team NCGA Pacific Coast Amateur,
“I’m exhausted but also so excited,” he said. “I didn’t ever get fazed, even when I was down three through three. I just kept believing in myself.”
Recap courtesy of the NCGA.
Past Winners
| Year | Winner | Medalist | Team | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Noah Woolsey | Christian Banke | Northern California | The Preserve |
| 2020 |
Joey Vrzich |
Stephen Hale | Southern California | Torrey Pines GC |
| 2019 |
William Mouw |
Sean Yu | Southern California | Monterey Peninsula CC |
| 2018 |
Bobby Bucey |
Cody Hall |
Northern California | Omni La Costa Resort & Spa |
| 2017 |
PJ Samiere |
Eddy Lai |
Southern California | The Olympic Club |
| 2016 |
Shintaro Ban |
Bryan Baumgarten and Andrew Levitt | Northern California | Valencia CC |
| 2015 |
Shotaro Ban |
Satch Herrmann |
Southern California |
Lake Merced GC |
| 2014 |
Xander Schauffele |
Jason Anthony | Southern California | Omni La Costa Resort & Spa |
| 2013 | Cory McElyea | Corey Pereira and Xander Schauffele | Northern California | Monterey Peninsula GC |
| 2012 | Kevin Marsh | Bhavik Patel | Southern California | La Cumbre CC |
| 2011 | Bhavik Patel | Philip Chian | Northern California | The Olympic Club |
| 2010 |
Scott Travers |
Scott Almquist Kevin Fitzgerald |
Southern California |
Rancho Santa Fe GC and La Jolla GC |
| 2009 |
Geoff Gonzalez |
Geoff Gonzalez | Southern California | Lake Merced GC |
| 2008 |
Nick Delio |
Matt Hoffenbers Alex Kim Scott McGihon |
Northern California | Lakeside GC and Oakmont CC |
| 2007 |
Josh Anderson |
Blake Trimble | Southern California | Monterey Peninsula CC |
| 2006 |
Jordan Nasser |
Steve Woods | Southern California | Pebble Beach Golf Links |
| 2005 |
Don DuBois |
Jordan Cox | Northern California | Pebble Beach Golf Links |
| 2004 |
Spencer Levin |
Mark Sear | Northern California | Pebble Beach Golf Links |
| 2003 |
Patrick Nagle |
Roy Moon | Northern California | Pebble Beach Golf Links |
| 2002 |
Eddie Heinen |
Don DuBois | Southern California | Pebble Beach Golf Links |
| 2001 |
Darryl Donovan |
Jeff Wilson | Northern California | Pebble Beach Golf Links |
| 2000 |
Nick Jones |
James Stewart Todd Miller |
Southern California | Bayonet and Blackhorse GC |
| 1999 |
Tim Hogarth |
Ed Cuff, Jr. Steve Conway |
Southern California | Pebble Beach Golf Links |
| 1998 | Ed Cuff, Jr. | Craig Steinberg | Southern California | Pebble Beach Golf Links |
| 1997 | Jason Gore | Tim Hogarth | Southern California | Pebble Beach Golf Links |
| 1996 | Mark Johnson | Jeff Gilchrist | Northern California | Pebble Beach Golf Links |
| 1995 | Jeff Sanday | Mark Johnson | Southern California | Pebble Beach Golf Links |
| 1994 | Steve Woods | Steve Woods | Southern California | Pebble Beach Golf Links |
| 1993 | Casey Boyns | Gary Vanier | Northern California | Pebble Beach Golf Links |
| 1992 | Todd Demsey | Harry Rudolph, III | Southern California | Pebble Beach Golf Links |
| 1991 | Harry Rudolph III | Sandy Galbraith | Southern California | Pebble Beach Golf Links |
| 1990 | Charlie Wi |
Mark Johnson Paul Stankowski |
Southern California | Pebble Beach Golf Links |
| 1989 | Casey Boyns | Jerry Michaels | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1988 | Don Parsons | Aaron Meeks | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1987 | Mike Springer |
Bob Lasken Tim Loustalot Steve Bogan |
Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1986 | Terrence Miskell | Dana Banke | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1985 | Sam Randolph | Sam Randolph | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1984 | Duffy Waldorf | Duffy Waldorf | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1983 | Kris Moe | Gregg Twiggs | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1982 | Gary Vanier | Corey Pavin | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1981 | Joe Tamburino | Mike Barnblatt | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1980 | Bobby Clampett | Bobby Clampett | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1979 | Mark O’Meara | Lennie Clements | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1978 | Bobby Clampett | Don Levin | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1977 | Lee Mikles | Tom Culligan | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1976 | Mike Brannan | Scott Simpson | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1975 | John Cook |
C. Richardson Curtis Worley |
Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1974 | Curtis Worley | Craig Stadler | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1973 | Mike Brannan | Mike Brannan | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1972 | Mac Hunter | Mark Pfeil | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1971 | Doug Nelson | Sandy Galbraith | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1970 | Bob Risch | Tom Smith | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1969 | Forrest Fezler | Ted Lyford | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1968 | Johnny Miller | Les Peterson | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1967 | Bob E. Smith | Arne Dokka | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1966 | Bob Eastwood |
Bob Eastwood Cesar Sanudo Jack Bariteau |
Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1965 | Vern Callison | Dr. Art Butler | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1964 | Steve Opperman | Ron Cerrudo | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1963 | Dr. Paul Travis | Peter Choate | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1962 | Dick Lotz | John Lotz | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1961 | John Richardson | No qualifying | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1960 | Larry Bouchey | Dr. Art Butler | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1959 | Vern Callison |
Dan Morgan Bob Roos |
Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1958 | Eli Bariteau | Dan Morgan | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1957 | Tal Smith | Dr. William O’Neal | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1956 | Ken Venturi |
Bob Silvestri Ken Venturi |
Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1955 | Dr. Frank Taylor | Tom Draper | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1954 | Dr. Frank Taylor | Dr. William O’Neal | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1953 | Gene Littler | Ken Venturi | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1952 | Bob Silvestri | Gene Littler | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1951 | Ken Venturi | Bud Holscher | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1950 | Bob Gardner | Fred Jordan | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1949 | Mac Hunter |
Gene Littler Tal Smith John Dawson |
Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1948 | Eli Bariteau |
Russell York Bob Silvestri |
Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1947 | Bob Gardner | Morgan Fottrell | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1946 | Bruce McCormick | Eli Bariteau | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1945 | Bruce McCormick | John Dawson | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1944 | Ernie Pieper, Jr. | Bob Rosburg | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1943 | Elmer Cites | Henry Suico | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1942 | John Dawson | Bud Brownell | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1941 | Ernie Pieper, Jr. | Ralph Lomelli | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1940 | Ed Monaghan | Rennie Kelly | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1939 | Jack Gage | Roger Kelly | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1938 | Roger Kelly | Roger Kelly | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1937 | Roger Kelly |
Ernest Combs Frank Hixon |
Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1936 | Mat Palacio, Jr. | Roger Kelly | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1935 | Jack Gaines | Ernie Pieper Jr. | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1934 | Stuart Hawley |
John Robbins Jack Nounman |
Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1933 | Charles Seaver | No qualifying | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 1932 | Neil White | No qualifying | Pebble Beach Golf Links |