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California Amateur Championship

NOAH WOOLSEY ADDS NAME TO LONG LIST OF CALIFORNIA LEGENDS

July 4, 2021

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.”

California Amateur Championship News

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ZACHERY POLLO CLINCHES BREAKTHROUGH TITLE, 5&4

CHARLIE REITER BUILDS INSURMOUNTABLE LEAD, WINS CAL-AM

Past Champions

Year Winner Site
2024 Caden Fioroni Sherwood CC
2023 Zachery Pollo (NCGA) Lake Merced GC
2022 Charlie Reiter (SCGA) Big Canyon CC
2021 Noah Woolsey (NCGA) The Preserve
2020 Joey Vrzich (SCGA) Torrey Pines GC
2019 William Mouw (SCGA) Monterey Peninsula CC
2018 Bobby Bucey (NCGA) Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
2017 PJ Samiere (SCGA) The Olympic Club
2016 Shintaro Ban (NCGA) Valencia CC
2015 Shotaro Ban (SCGA) Lake Merced GC
2014 Xander Schauffele (SCGA) Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
2013 Cory McElyea (NCGA) Monterey Peninsula GC
2012 Kevin Marsh (SCGA) La Cumbre CC
2011 Bhavik Patel (NCGA) The Olympic Club
2010 Scott Travers (SCGA) Rancho Santa Fe GC and La Jolla GC
2009 Geoff Gonzalez (SCGA) Lake Merced GC
2008 Nick Delio (NCGA) Lakeside GC and Oakmont CC
2007 Josh Anderson (SCGA) Monterey Peninsula CC
2006 Jordan Nasser (SCGA) Pebble Beach Golf Links
2005 Don DuBois (NCGA) Pebble Beach Golf Links
2004 Spencer Levin (NCGA) Pebble Beach Golf Links
2003 Patrick Nagle (NCGA) Pebble Beach Golf Links
2002 Eddie Heinen (SCGA) Pebble Beach Golf Links
2001 Darryl Donovan (NCGA) Pebble Beach Golf Links
2000 Nick Jones (SCGA) Bayonet and Blackhorse GC
1999 Tim Hogarth (SCGA) Pebble Beach Golf Links
1998 Ed Cuff, Jr. (SCGA) Pebble Beach Golf Links
1997 Jason Gore (SCGA) Pebble Beach Golf Links
1996 Mark Johnson (NCGA) Pebble Beach Golf Links
1995 Jeff Sanday (SCGA) Pebble Beach Golf Links
1994 Steve Woods (SCGA) Pebble Beach Golf Links
1993 Casey Boyns (NCGA) Pebble Beach Golf Links
1992 Todd Demsey (SCGA) Pebble Beach Golf Links
1991 Harry Rudolph III (SCGA) Pebble Beach Golf Links
1990 Charlie Wi (SCGA) Pebble Beach Golf Links
1989 Casey Boyns Pebble Beach Golf Links
1988 Don Parsons Pebble Beach Golf Links
1987 Mike Springer Pebble Beach Golf Links
1986 Terrence Miskell Pebble Beach Golf Links
1985 Sam Randolph Pebble Beach Golf Links
1984 Duffy Waldorf Pebble Beach Golf Links
1983 Kris Moe Pebble Beach Golf Links
1982 Gary Vanier Pebble Beach Golf Links
1981 Joe Tamburino Pebble Beach Golf Links
1980 Bobby Clampett Pebble Beach Golf Links
1979 Mark O’Meara Pebble Beach Golf Links
1978 Bobby Clampett Pebble Beach Golf Links
1977 Lee Mikles Pebble Beach Golf Links
1976 Mike Brannan Pebble Beach Golf Links
1975 John Cook Pebble Beach Golf Links
1974 Curtis Worley Pebble Beach Golf Links
1973 Mike Brannan Pebble Beach Golf Links
1972 Mac Hunter Pebble Beach Golf Links
1971 Doug Nelson Pebble Beach Golf Links
1970 Bob Risch Pebble Beach Golf Links
1969 Forrest Fezler Pebble Beach Golf Links
1968 Johnny Miller Pebble Beach Golf Links
1967 Bob E. Smith Pebble Beach Golf Links
1966 Bob Eastwood Pebble Beach Golf Links
1965 Vern Callison Pebble Beach Golf Links
1964 Steve Opperman Pebble Beach Golf Links
1963 Dr. Paul Travis Pebble Beach Golf Links
1962 Dick Lotz Pebble Beach Golf Links
1961 John Richardson Pebble Beach Golf Links
1960 Larry Bouchey Pebble Beach Golf Links
1959 Vern Callison Pebble Beach Golf Links
1958 Eli Bariteau Pebble Beach Golf Links
1957 Tal Smith Pebble Beach Golf Links
1956 Ken Venturi Pebble Beach Golf Links
1955 Dr. Frank Taylor Pebble Beach Golf Links
1954 Dr. Frank Taylor Pebble Beach Golf Links
1953 Gene Littler Pebble Beach Golf Links
1952 Bob Silvestri Pebble Beach Golf Links
1951 Ken Venturi Pebble Beach Golf Links
1950 Bob Gardner Pebble Beach Golf Links
1949 Mac Hunter Pebble Beach Golf Links
1948 Eli Bariteau Pebble Beach Golf Links
1947 Bob Gardner Pebble Beach Golf Links
1946 Bruce McCormick Pebble Beach Golf Links
1945 Bruce McCormick Pebble Beach Golf Links
1944 Ernie Pieper, Jr. Pebble Beach Golf Links
1943 Elmer Cites Pebble Beach Golf Links
1942 John Dawson Pebble Beach Golf Links
1941 Ernie Pieper, Jr. Pebble Beach Golf Links
1940 Ed Monaghan Pebble Beach Golf Links
1939 Jack Gage Pebble Beach Golf Links
1938 Roger Kelly Pebble Beach Golf Links
1937 Roger Kelly Pebble Beach Golf Links
1936 Mat Palacio, Jr. Pebble Beach Golf Links
1935 Jack Gaines Pebble Beach Golf Links
1934 Stuart Hawley Pebble Beach Golf Links
1933 Charles Seaver Pebble Beach Golf Links
1932 Neil White Pebble Beach Golf Links
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