Long Beach State University golf standout Alyson Sor captured the 2026 SCGA Women’s Match Play Championship at Red Hill CC, defeating Team California (SoCal) member Fay Jia 2&1 in a hard-fought final match.
Kicking off the tournament as the ninth-ranked competitor in the field, Sor picked up a 4&3 win in her Round of 32 matchup before following that up with a 4&2 victory to advance to the Round of 16. Sor would then squeak by top-seeded Kelsey Kim, winning their match 1-up before taking on her Long Beach State teammate Emma Kang in the semifinals. Teeing off in the semifinals on the morning of August 12, Sor won the battle of the college teammates, beating Kang 3&2 to advance to the final and a matchup with young star Fay Jia.
Teeing off on No. 1, Sor started the championship match on fire, winning the first two holes with an opening birdie followed by a par on No. 2. After going 2-down early, Jia managed to claw a hole back on No. 5 with a birdie to beat out Sor’s par but Sor would respond two holes later with a birdie of her own on the par-5 No. 7 to reclaim her 2-up lead, which she would hold as the two finalists made the turn to the back nine. Looking to build on her lead, Sor won the 10th hole with a par to move 3-up with eight holes potentially remaining. Jia continued to battle back, making a birdie on No. 11, with Sor answering back with a birdie on No. 12 to regain her 3-up advantage.
Sor had this to say about her ability to bounce back after losing a hole: “I wasn’t too worried; I mean we had a lot of golf to play and I was like, whatever happens on a hole doesn’t really matter; it just happens, and I was just trying to stay calm.”
Jia refused to go away, winning No. 13 and No. 15, cutting the deficit to 1-down for the first time since the sixth hole. With pressure mounting, Sor remained composed, and with the pair matching pars on No. 16, she delivered one final steady performance on No. 17, securing the hole with a par and clinching the championship 2&1.
When asked about how great it was to have family and friends supporting her on the course during the final, Sor said, “I felt all the love; it was super nice. I mean some of my friends stayed even after they didn’t make the cuts, and I just felt a lot of love and this is extra special because it’s my mom’s birthday so it’s a nice little birthday present.”