March 27, 2017

At just 14 years old, Lucy Li of Redwood Shores has earned her way into her second LPGA major championship. This past weekend, Li held off some of the world’s top-ranked girls at the ANA Junior Inspiration, an American Junior Golf Association event held in conjunction with the LPGA Tour’s ANA Inspiration.

With a 3-under-par tournament total, the JTNC and Youth on Course member will head into the first LPGA major of the year with some serious momentum and comfort with the Dinah Shores Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club.

“I’m just so excited right now,” Li said. “I can’t wait to play next week. The greens are so pure and the rough is really thick; I have a lot of fun playing out here.”

Even though Li is still a few years out from being able to drive a car, she is already familiar with teeing up alongside the LPGA’s best. The Northern California native first erupted onto the national golf stage when she became the youngest player to ever compete in the Women’s U.S. Open at the age of 12.

Since her time in the spotlight at Pinehurst, Li has been proving to the golf world that her rise to stardom was no fluke. Li won the 2016 Junior PGA Championship and helped the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team secure its fifth consecutive victory over team Europe with a dominant 6 & 4 win in Singles.

Li will not be the only Northern California Golf Association amateur taking on the pros. Olympic Club’s Hannah O’Sullivan and Stanford star freshman Andrea Lee will also be making their 2017 major debuts.

March 23, 2017

There’s no right age to start giving back. Redwood Shores resident Lucy Li and Concord resident Yealimi Noh are examples of that.

The 14-year-old Li and Noh, 15, recently were the catalysts in the NCGA receiving a $10,000 donation from ANA (All Nippon Airways) as part of this weekend’s ANA Junior Inspiration. The ANA Junior is run in conjunction with the ANA Inspiration, which tees next week at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage and is the LPGA’s first major of the year.

Each of the 40 juniors competing in the ANA Junior could designate a golf related organization to receive a $5,000 grant. Li and Noh, who are both members of the Junior Tour of Northern California, (which is co-jointly operated by the NCGA and Northern California PGA) and compete in NCGA women’s events, chose the NCGA as a benefactor.

“We are grateful for the generous gift from ANA, Lucy and Yealimi, which will go a long way in supporting junior girls’ golf.  Through Youth on Course, the Junior Tour of Northern California and hosting the 2018 USGA Girls’ Junior at Poppy Hills, the NCGA is very proud of our support for the game and the young players who benefit from our programs,” NCGA Executive Director Joe Huston said.  “It’s particularly special to be recognized by two of our outstanding junior members.”

Li, who garnered national attention in 2014 by qualifying for and playing in that year’s U.S Women’s Open at the age of 11, finished T-10 in last year’s NCGA Women’s Player of the Year points standings. Noh is currently in second place in the JTNC Girls’ Player of the Year standings, thanks to three wins including the 2016 NCGA/CIF Girls’ Northern California Championship.

The 54-hole ANA Junior will begin Saturday with the field playing 36 holes at on the Pete Dye Challenge Course. On Sunday, they’ll play 18 holes alongside LPGA legends on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course.

The winner of the American Junior Golf Association sanctioned event will receive a final playing spot in the ANA Inspiration. Li and Noh earned spots in the ANA Junior by finishing in the Top 40 in the Global ANA Priority Mileage Points standings.

March 20, 2017

A giant Junior Tour of Northern California broom showed up at the annual San Francisco City Championship.

Brian Ma and Sabrina Iqbal, both JTNC members, swept the Men’s and Women’s Championship divisions, respectively, following a long and cold Sunday afternoon at par-72 TPC Harding Park.

Men’s Championship

Ma, a 16-year-old sophomore at Archbishop Mitty, became the third youngest champion in the event’s 101-year history, defeating Seb Crookall-Nixon, 1-up, in the 36-hole final.

On the 36^th hole, Ma deftly got up-and-down for par from off the green. Crookall-Nixon, who was on the green in regulation, left his first putt short and couldn’t convert for par.

“I’m very relieved,” said Ma, who used a pack of hand warmers to beat off the cold. “This is the biggest win for me so far.”

Ma, who follows Carlos Briones (2009) and Ray Leach (1968) on the youngest champions’ list, appeared to be in good shape after taking a 2-up lead with a par on the 26^th hole. A Crookall-Nixon birdie on the 27^th and par on the 29^th holes, however, knotted things back up.

“The last nine holes my putting wasn’t on point. I thought he was going to take the advantage, but I didn’t let my emotions take over,” said the No.32 seeded Ma. “I just stuck with it.”

Crookall-Nixon, a 23-year-old recent graduate of University of San Francisco and former junior standout in England, could only lament lost chances while tipping his cap to Ma.

“I gave it my all. That’s all you can do,” said the No.6 seeded Crookall-Nixon, who was a four-year First Team All-Conference pick while with the Dons. “Brian played fantastic golf. He’s going to go a long way.”

Despite his youth, Ma, who joins the likes of George Archer and Ken Venturi as winners of the event, wasn’t just tired from the day. In getting to the title, he’d play six rounds in four days.

“It gets exhausting playing so many rounds in so short of time,” Ma said with a smile. “It’s definitely worth it. Knowing my name is now with all those great players, it gives me hope that I can move on to greater things.”

Women’s Championship

Iqbal, still just a 15-year-old junior at Pioneer High in San Jose, became the first female back-to-back champion since Casie Cathrea, rolling to a 10 and 9 win over Kiran Sangha.

How dominant was the No.1 seeded Iqbal’s run through the brackets? She’d only end up playing the 17^th and 18^th holes during the qualifying round.

“I was looking forward to this. I wanted to go back-to-back,” said Iqbal, who blitzed Sangha by going 5-under—including a stretch of four straight birdies–from holes No.9 through No.18 in the morning portion of the 36-hole finale.

The record three-time defending JTNC Girls’ Player of the Year, Iqbal didn’t want to just repeat. She also wanted some more match play experience. The only other match play events she competes in during the year are USGA championship and California Women’s Amateur Championship events.

Last year, she’d claim her first CWAC title in her debut in that event.

“I love match play but don’t play in it often,” Iqbal said. “Overall, my game is in a good place. But I still need to improve on everything. There’s always room for improvement.”