It's safe to say that Lily Peng is a fan of the new 18-hole Championship Course at Poppy Ridge.
Peng, a 17-year-old senior at Carondelet High, got in a groove on the Jay Blasi-designed layout en route to cruising to a six-shot win at the annual NCGA Women's Amateur Stroke Play Championship. Having already committed to UCLA, Peng put up rounds of 67-65-68 for a 54-hole total of 16-under 200. Both her 36-hole and 54-hole totals set championship records.
"I was trying not to think about it being a tournament so much. I just focus on my own game," Peng said.
Over her three rounds, Peng posted 19 birdies to go with an eagle on the tough par-5 7th hole, while only making five bogeys.
"I think the first two days were a challenge, especially with the wind in the second round. The greens are also so firm and fast and slopey," Peng said. "It's a great course."
Defending champion Sarah Lim, who plays at Princeton, tried to make a run but Peng never opened the door. Lim placed second at 209 after a final round 69. Emma Wang was third at 208.
Hillsborough resident Xiaolong 'Sherry' Zhong had won multiple Legacy events, including going back-to-back at the recent Stroke Play Championship.
This time, she finally got to taste an NCGA victory. Zhong, a former pro who competed in China and Japan before stepping away from the tour life in 2011, sank a 4-foot putt for par on the 18th hole at Poppy Ridge to walk away with a win at the annual NCGA Senior Amateur Match Play Championship.
For Zhong, who turned 50 in March, it wasn't easy. She'd have to hold off runner-up Lynne Cowan and third-place finisher Sally Krueger, a pair of NCGA Hall of Famers. Cowan had putt the pressure on Zhong by making a birdie on the 18th to enter the clubhouse at a total of 3-over 214.
"I just wanted to make it. I made so many putts to make par or get under par during the tournament," said Zhong, who finished the 54-hole event with a total of 212 (75-68-69). "That last putt was so important."
Cowan, a record five-time winner of the event, made a surge with a second-round 69. A final round of 67 applied even more heat.
But Zhong responded. Clutch birdies at holes Nos. 9 and 13 helped keep her atop the leaderboard. Krueger finished at 216 after a final round of 70.