Mere minutes after it was official, UCLA senior Natalie Vo began exchanging texts with her Bruins teammates.
There was good reason to celebrate.
Vo, a native of San Jose, built a 4-up lead and later held on thanks in part to the shot of her life on the par-4 17th hole to capture the 58th California Women's Amateur Championship at The Peninsula Golf and Country Club via a 2 and 1 victory over runner-up Amelia Garibaldi. As part of the victory, Vo also received an automatic exemption into the upcoming U.S. Women's Amateur Championship, set for Aug. 5-11 at Southern Hills in Oklahoma.
Clinging to a 1-up lead through 16 holes, the No.15 seeded Vo on 17 hit her approach shot to a tough-tucked flagstick to 2 feet. Garibaldi's second shot, meanwhile, landed in a greenside bunker, leading to an eventual bogey.
"It's great, honestly it feels good with all the work I've put in," said Vo, who joins the likes of Mina Harigae, and NCGA Hall of Famers Juli Inkster and Patty Sheehan as champions of the event. "This is the biggest win of my career."
As she did in the semifinals, Vo, who transferred to UCLA after playing at University of Colorado, came out scorching. She'd birdie each of the first three holes--making a 10-foot birdie putt on No.1, a 28-foot birdie putt on No.2 and another one-putt birdie on No.5--to instantly jump to a commanding 3-up lead.
Vo went on to post an eye-opening 31 on the front-nine, and later added another birdie on the 10th to make it a 4-up lead.
"I was just putting really well and was able to take advantage of that," said Vo of her early play.
Following her win on the 10th hole, however, all the momentum shifted to Garibaldi. On the uphill par-5 11th, Vo's third shot landed on the edge of the green but rolled back off, leading to a bogey and par win for the No.21-seeded Garibaldi. A hole later on the par-3 12th, Vo's par putt lipped out, handing Garibaldi, a sophomore at Fresno State, another win and cutting the lead to 2-up.
Just another hole later on No.13, Vo pulled her drive left, her ball landing behind a tree. She'd be forced to try and hit out left-handed, and consequently whiffed. A double-bogey later, and the lead was just 1-up.
Over the next three holes, the two would tie with pars. Garibaldi had a golden chance to tie things up on the par-3 15th when Vo hit her tee shot on the hill to the right of the green. But Garibaldi, whose tee shot landed in the front greenside, took two shots to get out of the bunker. Both would end up carding double-bogeys.
After another tie on the 16th hole, the stage was set for Vo's heroics on the 17th hole to close things out.
"I had fun. My boyfriend (Jake Bettencourt, who also plays at Fresno State) came out so it was nice," said Garibaldi, whose cheerful demeanor never changed despite the defeat. "I just enjoy competing. Spread the joy."
For Vo, her big shot at 17 was much-needed medicine, leading her to win the biggest amateur prize in the Golden State.
"I hit a 54-degree wedge. I was a little bit nervous because it was a full wedge and the wind was going to the right. I was a little worried," Vo said. "Then when I saw that it landed on the green. It was was a relief."
Recap courtesy of NCGA
