Cristina Ochoa wins inaugural NCGA Women's Amateur Championship

August 19, 2022 | by Northern California Golf Association

Cristina Ochoa (NCGA photo)

The 20-year-old Cal junior makes history at Spyglass Hill

Cristina Ochoa will head into the 2022-23 NCAA Division I season with a bit of steam behind her.

The 20-year-old junior made history, capturing the title at the inaugural NCGA Women's Amateur Championship after defeating Antonia Malate, 3 and 2, in Friday's fog-shrouded finals at Spyglass Hill.

"It's a great feeling to win this event. Especially being it's the first one," said Ochoa, a native of Bogota, Colombia who came to the States after being recruited by Cal. "It's been a very long year of hard work, so it feels very rewarding."

The No.3 seed, Ochoa had to get past No.1 seed Antonia Malate. A fifth-year senior at San Jose State had entered the week coming off a recent runner-up finish at the California Women's Amateur.

For Ochoa, the difference came early, as she'd build a 3-up lead through the first nine holes thanks in part to a birdie on the par-4 4th. From there, Malate was never able to get closer than 2-up. On the par-3 15th, Ochoa gave herself some extra wiggle room by making birdie.

"I feel that for the week, par was a good score and I did a good of that," Ochoa said. "Getting the chance to play Spyglass Hill was amazing. It's a really, really good challenge."

Congrats to Cristina Ochoa, winner of the inaugural NCGA Women’s Amateur . She’d defeat Antonia Malate, 3 and 2 pic.twitter.com/UxtRaqWaoQ
— NCGA (@ncga1901) August 19, 2022

Malate, who had her friend Josh on the bag as a caddie, played prep golf at nearby Stevenson School. While she knew the course, in the final a balky putter let her down.

"I just couldn't make any putts, and a lot of my approach shots spun off the greens," said Malate, who has future aspirations of turning pro. "Getting to play Spyglass was such a treat."

While Malate went with a lucky caddie, so too did Ochoa. Her caddie was Bears teammate Kristine Tran. On Thursday, Ochoa defeated Tran 4 and 3 in the semifinals.

"It was amazing having Kristine on the bag," Ochoa said. "She has a similar game to mine and she knows the course. We had fun and she helped me relax."

Ochoa's win gave the Cal women a sweep in the 2022 majors---Kaylyn Noh won the NCGA Women's Stroke Play, Annika Borrelli won the California Women's Am and Ochoa won the Women's Amateur.

About the NCGA Women's Match Play

Cristina Ochoa wins inaugural NCGA Women's Amateur Championship

18 holes stroke-play qualifying cut to 32 players (including exempts) for single-elimination match play.

Most Popular Articles

The Pursuit of Perfection: The Lowest Rounds in Golf History

Apr 23, 2026Breaking 60 used to be like running a four minute mile, but now it happens all the time.

RESULTS: 2026 U.S. Open Local Qualifying

May 11, 2026The road to Shinnecock Hills begins in April as 110 local qualifying sites and 13 final qualifying venues are set.

2026 U.S. Amateur Qualifying: Dates, Sites, Registration Info, and How to Enter

Apr 30, 2026Registration for the 2026 U.S. Amateur is opening soon. Explore every local and final qualifying site

Ellison & Scheck Win 2026 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball in 19 Holes

May 6, 2026The No. 3 seed snaps a five-year teenage-champion streak. Carter & Snyder, both 15, fall in sudden death after

How the NCAA Golf Championships Work

Apr 28, 2026From conference tournaments to match play under the Carlsbad sun — a complete guide to the road that ends at Omni La Costa

Filters

Related Tournament

NCGA Women's Match Play

View Details

Loading latest news...

Loading article...