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It came down to the final putt, on the final green, of the final day, but Annika Ishiyama claimed victory at the SCGA Women’s Amateur Championship for the second time in three years.
Ishiyama, who won the same prestigious title at The Saticoy Club in 2024, survived a three-way battle in the final group of Wednesday’s championship round where each of her playing partners held the lead, or a share of it, at least once.
One of those competitors, Ashley Yun, won the SCGA Women’s Amateur Championship in 2022 at San Diego CC. Yun started three back of Ishiyama’s lead and made a double bogey on No. 8, but flipped the switch on the back nine to pull into a three-way tie at even par by the 14th hole.
With only four holes remaining and the Fischer Trophy hanging in the balance, Ishiyama, Yun and Sophia Lin were locked together in a contest that felt increasingly like match play.
The turning point came at the par 5 15th. Despite ranking as Valencia CC's easiest hole on the scorecard, the 15th dealt a blow to Lin's championship hopes. After pushing her tee shot deep into the right trees, she was unable to escape trouble and would go on to make a triple bogey on the hole.
Yun made a routine par on No. 15 while Ishiyama failed to get up-and-down after her second shot left her in trouble left of the green. Two ineffective chips resulted in a lengthy par putt that she couldn’t convert. With three holes left, Yun was leading by one shot.
Ishiyama didn’t seem bothered that she made bogey on a scoreable hole at a very inopportune time. Instead, she stuck her tee shot on the par-3 16th to five feet and made a birdie to better Yun’s par to reclaim a share of the lead.
After pulling her drive into the trees on the 17th hole, Ishiyama faced a seemingly impossible approach. With no direct path to the green, she reached for a 6-iron from 160 yards and unleashed a sweeping, low-running hook around the trees. The ball landed short of the green before chasing onto the putting surface, leaving her a lengthy birdie opportunity. It was a shot born equally from skill and imagination, one that preserved par when bogey had appeared far more likely.
That clutch recovery ensured she would arrive at the 54th and final hole tied with Yun. The closing par-5 18th provided one final test.
Both players struck quality shots to leave themselves wedge approaches for their third shots. Ishiyama went first and had the right line, but her ball came up one yard short from catching a mound on the green that would have released it down towards the hole for a high-percentage birdie look. Yun followed, but her approach carried over the green, perhaps the only swing all day where adrenaline may have gotten the better of her.
Yun was able to putt from just off the back of the green but came up four feet short. With a downhill look to win the championship, Ishiyama also left her putt short by a couple of feet. With dozens of spectators gathered around the clubhouse patio, Yun faced a putt she had seemingly made all day long. She had taken only 28 putts in the round and had failed to save par just once. But this time, her attempt caught the edge and rolled three feet past the hole. Suddenly, the door was open for Ishiyama.
Without hesitation, she buried her par attempt to secure the championship.
Ishiyama missed five fairways, eight greens and carded six bogeys during the final round. But when the pressure intensified, she never wavered. She spent the day both defending a lead and chasing one, displaying the resilience and composure that championship golf demands.
As part of the SCGA’s mission to provide a pathway to the national stage, Ishiyama earned an exemption to this year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. She also renewed her 10-year exemption in the SCGA Women’s Amateur Championship and earned a spot in the 2026 California Women’s Amateur Championship and the 2026 SCGA Women’s Match Play Championship.
