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see also: Shaunak Nair, Nipomo Amateur Championship, Monarch Dunes
Nair survived a late wobble to win by two as Garibaldi chased down the lead to take the women’s title at Monarch Dunes
Shaunak Nair and Amelia Garibaldi claimed the men’s and women’s titles at the 2026 Nipomo Amateur at Monarch Dunes in Nipomo, California.
Nair, a sophomore at UC Davis, shot 68-67-71 to finish at 7-under 206, sealing a two-shot win despite a shakier final round after a near-perfect start to the week.
Nair was bogey-free for his first 37 holes before finally dropping a shot on his 38th hole — the second hole of the final round — and added two more bogeys later in the day.
He steadied with an even-par 71, which proved enough to stay clear of the field.
He began the final round with a four-shot lead at 9-under 135, ahead of Vineet Vallamsetty, a freshman at Chico State, who sat second at 5-under 139 after rounds of 72-67. Vallamsetty slipped with a closing 75 to finish T14 at 1-over 214.
The biggest late push came from Adam Anderson, who recovered from an opening 75 with rounds of 68-65 to finish runner-up at 5-under 208. Anderson started the final day T7 at 1-over 143, then posted a 6-under 65 — the lowest round of the tournament — to climb into second.
Zachary Tarter, the first-round leader after a 4-under 67, couldn’t stay in the mix, closing 72-80 to finish T29 at 6-over 219.
Garibaldi holds on in women’s division
In the women’s division, Amelia Garibaldi, a junior at Fresno State, shot 77-71-74 to finish at 9-over 222 and win by one.
Garibaldi entered the final round three shots back in a tie for third, chasing Kylie Phi (San Diego State) who held the 36-hole lead at 3-over after 74-71, while Nicola Kaminski, a San Jose State graduate and two-time champion, stood second at 5-over after 71-76.
Garibaldi’s closing 74 was enough as Phi slipped to a 78 and Kaminski closed with a 76, leaving both players tied for second at 10-over 223.
Kaminski, the defending champion and winner in 2024 and 2025, settled for runner-up this time as Garibaldi came through with the biggest move of the week on the final day.
Word has spread beyond the Central Coast out about the fantastic Monarch Dunes Golf Links. And now this Damian Pascuzzo & Steve Pate design, with it's links styling has a place on the California tournament calendar. This stroke play championship has ...
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