Northern California Contingent Set to Tee Off at U.S. Women’s Amateur
August 6, 2015
There’ll be a strong Northern California contingent at next week’s U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship amid the gargantuan trees at Portland Golf Club in Oregon.
The 12 players with Northern California ties will also be hoping to do something that hasn’t been done in over a decade.
The last player with Northern California ties to win a U.S. Women’s Amateur title was Dorothy Delasin in 1999. While Delasin was born in Texas, she grew up in the City by the Bay.
As for Delasin’s win, that snapped a drought in itself.
Ty Akabane
Prior to Delasin’s victory, Kay Cockerill had been the last Northern California player to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur title. Cockerill, who grew up in San Jose and now works for The Golf Channel, won back-to-back titles in 1986 and 1987.
Northern California’s 12 Representatives
Here’s the 12 that, starting Monday, will be looking to bring the title back to Northern California.
- Emilee Hoffman-senior at Vista del Lago High in Folsom
- Shawnee Martinez-senior at Long Beach State
- Ty Akabane-Junior Tour of Northern California member
- Hannah Sodersten-senior at Fresno State
- Lila Barton-former standout at Stanford
- Kourtnie Maxoutopoulis-senior at Texas Christian University
- Gurman Kaur-Junior Tour of Northern California member
- Elizabeth Schultz-sophomore at San Jose State
- Lauren Kim-senior at Stanford
- Hannah O’ Sullivan-Olympic Club member; runner-up at U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball
- Carmen Gutierrez Ballon-winner of 2014 California Women’s Amateur
- Mariah Stackhouse-senior at Stanford
Both Kim and Stackhouse helped Stanford win its first women’s golf national title back in June when the Cardinal defeated Baylor, 3-2 in the championship finals. Kim, who won the 2012 NCGA Junior Championship, later played in the LPGA Tour’s Marathon Classic after receiving an exemption.
Mariah Stackhouse
U.S. Women’s Amateur Schedule Change for 2016
Looking ahead to the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur, a busy golf calendar has led to a schedule change.
The USGA recently announced that the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur, to be held at Rolling Green GC in Pennsylvania, will be held one week earlier (August 1-7) than planned to avoid conflict with two other USGA championships and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
“August 2016 is a very exciting and busy month for worldwide sports, not just on the USGA calendar,” said Diana Murphy, USGA vice president and chairman of the Championship Committee. “Moving the U.S. Women’s Amateur will allow us to manage the logistics of conducting three championships in three weeks while still celebrating the international excitement that always comes during an Olympic year.”
–Jerry Stewart
