It was a marathon finish to the 75th California Junior Girls State Championship at The Peninsula Golf and Country Club in San Mateo.
A finish that NCGA Hall of Famer & championship founder Helen Lengfeld would’ve been proud of.
Milpitas native Michelle Woo sank a 30-foot putt on the 20th hole as she outlasted Murrieta native Fay Jia in the championship match.
"I did not expect to make that putt at all," Woo said. "I was trying to get the putt as close as I could and these greens are angulated but I was really happy that the putt went in."
Woo, who had not played in the championship since 2022, said that playing against a good friend in Jia eased the pressure of playing for a state title.
"It made it a lot better because we were able to talk in between shots and it eased everything up a lot," Woo said. "It was a really fun match playing against her."
Jia ended stroke play qualifying with a chip-in birdie on the sixth playoff hole to earn the last spot in the Round of 16.
She played over 100 holes during the week, nearly resulting in her becoming the first Southern California native to win the event since 2017.
"I am really glad I got to play in match play," Jia said. "Michelle is so fun to play with and I am super happy for her."
The day started with Woo getting a 4 and 3 win over Jayden Peters in the semifinal match. Jia, meanwhile, went the distance in her semifinal match versus Madalynn Lee. She’d close that match out with a birdie on the par-5 18th hole which resulted in a 2-up victory.
In the championship match, conditions were tough with the wind picking up in the Bay Area. The lone birdie in regulation came from Jia who birdied the par-4 14th hole.
Jia came to the short par-4 17th hole holding a 1-up lead. She drove her tee shot on the green.
However, Jia putted her eagle put off the green. She said that was her lone mistake of the day, and it would tie up the match.
"I blasted that putt over the green somehow," Jia said. "That was my biggest mistake of the day."
Both girls made par on the 18th hole which sent the match into extra holes.
After tying the first hole of sudden-death, Jia and Woo both hit perfect drives on the par-4 2nd hole. Jia's approach shot just came short of the green on the fringe while Woo's second shot found the green but was 30 feet short.
That is when Woo hit the putt of her life and punched her ticket to the 2025 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club.
For Woo, it will be her second USGA tournament of the year having previously played into the Round of 16 with partner Michelle Ho at the 2025 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Southern Hills back in May.
For the future Cal-Berkeley Golden Bear, the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship will be her final junior golf event before starting her collegiate career.
In Atlanta, she hopes to soak in the experience with her parents, who walked every step in her championship triumph at Peninsula G&CC.
"It is so nice having my parents by my side," Woo said. "I have been playing junior golf for 10 years and have been at all my tournaments and it is really special to have them here and watch me win my last one."