SAN FRANCISCO, CA (March 4, 2006) --16-year-old Diane Kwon rode three birdies to a 5 and 4 victory over past champion (2003) Eva Monisteri.
“It was my first year to play here and I think it’s a wonderful golf course,” said Kwon, who played impeccably and found birdies on holes 7, 9, and 11. Kwon is a high school sophomore who plays number one on the boys’ golf team at Kennedy High School in Fremont.
Alex Murray, her golf coach, watched the action and her father, John Kwon, carried the bag.
“I just try to focus on my own game and try to stay in each shot,” explained Kwon.
Although Kwon is new to the San Francisco City Championship competition, she is not new to winning and has won honors in numerous junior tournaments. She hopes to one day be a professional golfer and certainly proved her abilities today.
The second match was so close that it was too bad someone had to lose. In this match-up, Melissa Bagley, who likes to be called Lisa Bagley-Terzian, beat 12- year old Grace Na on the 19th hole.
Bagley-Terzian almost didn’t play in the event and entered as a walk-on. She didn’t sign up in time and had to wait on the first day of the qualifier to finally be told that somebody didn’t show and there was a space for her. “I got lucky,” Bagley-Terzian said. Bagley-Terzian’s luck continued today as she won the semifinal match.
Bagley-Terzian and Na were all square or 1 up for most of the match. By the 15th hole, Na was 2 up. On 15, Bagley-Terzian missed her short putt, but Na missed her short putt as well, halving the hole with bogies.
Both players hit beautiful tee shots at the 16th. Bagley-Terzian’s approach shot found the left bunker and Na’s approach shot was short and chunky, forcing Na to hit another shot that made it 10 feet to the hole. With both players lying 3, Bagley-Terzian sank her 20-foot putt from the fringe to save par and Na’s putt passed by the hole, allowing Bagley-Terzian to take the hole and shifting the momentum in the match.
On the short 17, Na pushed her tee shot right, but her approach shot made it 7 feet from the hole. Bagley-Terzian hit her tee shot pin high and made an incredible 20-foot putt to get a birdie and win the hole when Na missed her putt.
Bagley-Terzian and Na each had perfect tee shots on the 18th hole. Bagley-Terzian’s approach went right and her chip landed 20 feet from the hole while Na’s second shot was short of the green by 30 yards. Na chipped in to 7 feet of the hole. Bagley-Terzian’s hot putter didn’t fail her as she made her putt to save par. Na met the challenge and made her putt as well. All square, they went to the first hole to continue the match.
On the first hole, Na pulled her second shot into the trees, clipping some branches. Still in pretty good position, her chip shot was short, leaving her off the green. Her second chip shot went past the hole. Meanwhile, Bagley-Terzian was on the green in two. Her first putt missed the hole but she made the second putt for a par, thus giving Bagley-Terzian the win on the 19th hole.
Bagley-Terzian, who plays out of Ridgemark in Hollister, summed up her play today, “I missed a lot of short putts but made the big ones today.”
Bagley-Terzian and Kwon will face each other Sunday March 5th at Harding Park in the final match of 36 holes starting at 7:38, with one of the players to be named the 2006 San Francisco City Champion for the women’s division.
ABOUT THE San Francisco City WOMEN'S
NOTE: 2017 REGISTRATIONS CLOSED ON JAN. 15.
WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP AND INKSTER
FLIGHT
$275 ENTRY FEE INCLUDES ALL GREEN FEES
Open to the first 60 entries received. No index
required. Qualifying will consist of one 18-hole
stroke play round. Along with the defending
champion, who will hold the number two seed, the
low 15 scores will advance to the Women’s
Championship Flight. The next 16 contestants will be
seeded in the Juli Inkster Flight. Individual scores
will determine seeding for match play. Contestants
who don’t qualify for the Women’s Championship or
Inkster Flight will be refunded $125. Entrants who
are a no show will not be entitled to a refund. All
rounds will be played at TPC Harding Park Golf
Course. Those contestants who post the 32nd and
33rd low scores will be deemed alternate #1 and
#2,
respectively.
ABOUT THE SAN FRANCISCO CITY
CHAMPIONSHIPThe oldest municipal
tournament in the
USA.
Match
play event with scratch senior, women's
and
net
divisions. Past champions include Ken
Venturi,
George Archer, and Dorothy Delasin. Some
of
the
'non winners' include Tom Watson and
Johnny
Miller.
Click the 'history' tab for more about this
wonderful
event.
View Complete Tournament Information