Tournament News

by Pete Wlodkowski

The San Francisco City Championship was inaugurated in 1917, and is the Country's oldest municipal golf tournament. The Women's division was added in 1958. In its early years, the tournament was hosted by the Sun-Bulletin newspaper and has had numerous sponsors throughout its history such as Bob Varner, Tom Culligan, and Pepsi.

The name of the tournament is deceiving, as the field is typically made up of the best amateurs from throughout Northern California. As a matter of fact, the 1999 field included Mark Murphy of Waterville, Ireland, who made it to the quarterfinals before being ousted in a nail-biter by Gary Vanier. (Vanier eventually lost to Randy Haag in what was called the best final since Ken Venturi beat Harvey Ward in 1956 in front of 12,000 fans.)

Another thing that makes the City Championship a unique event is the inclusion of an "Open" Division, allowing for amateurs of varying abilities to compete. The top two flights in the Open Division, named the "Venturi" and "Susko" respectively, are named for two of the tournaments' most popular competitors, Ken Venturi and John Susko, the latter of whom met an untimely death from Crohn's disease in 1983. Susko is remembered as a popular Lincoln Park golfer who won the City Championship in 1978 and 1980, won the Alameda Commuters in 1981, and participated in a number of National amateur events even with a condition that often sidelined him for weeks at a time.

Those familiar with the City Championship will tell you about the tradition of playing the ball as it lies at San Francisco's Lincoln and Harding Park golf courses in some often very wintry conditions. More than one player has marched in to the tournament office claiming that they will never play again, but their applications usually find their way in the following year. Conditions are the same for everyone; the ability to accept the occasional bad break is paramount to a competitor's success.

Past champions include 1964 US Open Champion Ken Venturi, 1999 US Women's Open Champion Julie Inkster, and 1969 Masters Champion George Archer. More recently, LPGA Tour player Dorothy Delasin* of Daly City (winner of the 1998 US Junior Girls Championship and 1999 US Women's Amateur) claimed the Women's City Championship in 1998.

PAST CHAMPIONS

2022 Adora Liu
2021 Kesaree Rojanapeansatith
2020 Emily Hou
2019 Danielle Suh
2018 Simar Singh
2017 Sabrina Iqbal
2016 Sabrina Iqbal
2015 Sara Banke
2014 Cassie Cathrea
2013 Cassie Cathrea
2012 Alexandra Wong
2011 Hannah Suh
2010 Samantha Esguerra
2009 Bonnie Hu
2008 Emily Childs
2007 Diana Kwon
2006 Diana Kwon
2005 Sally Krueger
2004 Sally Krueger
2003 Eva Monisteri
2002 M. Peterson
2001 Eden Anderson
2000 Martha Burkard
1999 Kim Welch
1998 Dorothy Delasin
1997 Sally Krueger
1996 Sally Krueger
1995 Jae Jean Ro
1994 Linda Segre
1993 Linda Segre
1992 Heather Hughes
1991 Heather Hughes
1990 Pat Cornett-Iker
1989 Pat Cornett-Iker
1988 Sally (Voss) Krueger
1987 Denise Philbrick
1986 Sally Voss
1985 Nancy Turner, Jr.
1984 Sally Voss
1983 Sally Voss
1982 Sally Voss
1981 Juli (Simpson) Inkster
1980 Carol Conidi
1979 Juli Simpson
1978 Sally Voss
1977 Barbara Vetrano
1976 Margaret Leonard
1975 Patricia Cornett
1974 Cheryl Pastore
1973 Lauren Howe
1972 Pam Palmieri
1971 Shelley Hamlin
1970 Shelley Hamlin
1969 Noni Schneider
1968 Shelley Hamlin
1967 Linda Collins Maurer
1966 Marie Strand
1965 Jan Ferraris
1964 Jan Ferraris
1963 Jan Ferraris
1962 Jan Ferraris
1961 Jane Thomas
1960 Linda Collins
1959 Dorothy Stamps
1958 Angie Vote