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Weekend Preview
March 13–15 brings the first big match-play weekend
The championship shifts into a new phase this weekend as both the men’s and women’s divisions take center stage across San Francisco’s municipal championship rota. On Friday, March 13, the Women’s Championship Division opens at Lincoln Park with qualifying to set the bracket. Then, on Saturday, March 14, the spotlight moves to TPC Harding Park, where the Men’s Championship Division begins match play while the women’s bracket also gets underway. By Sunday, March 15, the pressure rises again with the next men’s match-play round and the women’s quarterfinals, making this the first weekend where both divisions are fully in motion and the road to the championship starts to narrow.
Men’s Championship Pre-Qualifying and Qualifying Wrap-Up
The road to match play is complete
Last week’s opening stages of the San Francisco City Championship lived up to the event’s reputation as a true March marathon.
Friday’s pre-qualifier at Lincoln Park sent 40 players through to the weekend after a 5-for-4 playoff ended in just one hole, with Inho Park earning medalist honors after a brilliant 5-under 63, five shots clear of the field.
From there, the 36-hole qualifier across TPC Harding Park and Lincoln Park set the match-play bracket, with Alexander Thu rising to the top at 6-under total after a second-round 64 at Lincoln Park.
The fight for the final places was just as dramatic, as 15 players battled for 10 remaining spots in the Venturi bracket, with the playoff effectively decided in one hole when 10 players made par or better.
Now, the field is set, and 48 players move on to match play at Harding Park this weekend.
2026 Dates at a Glance (The March Road)
Men’s Championship
March 7–22 (Pre-Qualifier March 6)
Mar 6: Pre-Qualifier (Lincoln Park)Mar 7–8: 36-hole qualifier (Harding + Lincoln)Mar 14–15: Match Play Rounds 1–2 (Harding)Mar 21–22: QFs/SFs + 36-hole Final (Harding)
Women’s Championship + Women’s Senior
March 13–22
Mar 13: Qualifying (Lincoln Park)Mar 14: Match play begins (Harding)Mar 15: Quarterfinals (Harding)Mar 21: Semifinals (Harding)Mar 22: 36-hole Women’s Final + Inkster/Senior finals (Harding)
Men’s Senior
March 17–22
Mar 17: Qualifying (Harding)Mar 18: First round (Harding)Mar 19: Second round (Harding)Mar 20: Quarterfinals (Harding)Mar 21: Semifinals (Harding)Mar 22: Final (Harding)
Men’s Super Senior + Open Flights
Super Senior: Mar 18–22 • Open Flights: Mar 14–22
Super Senior: Qualifying Mar 18, Finals Mar 22 (Harding)Open Flights: Match play starts Mar 14 (Lincoln), finals Mar 22 (Harding) What Makes “The City” Different
The City isn’t just a championship — it’s a qualification journey. The format rewards players who can handle multiple environments, multiple weekends, and the emotional swing from stroke play to match play. In a golf world full of quick turnarounds, San Francisco’s city championship still asks you to earn it over time.
Men’s Championship Road Map
Pre-Qualifier (Mar 6): A pressure-cooker day at Lincoln Park for players who enter after the weekend qualifier field is full.36-Hole Qualifying (Mar 7–8): 18 holes at TPC Harding Park + 18 holes at Lincoln Park — one combined score to reach match play.Match Play Begins (Mar 14): The tournament shifts from “make birdies” to “win holes,” and every mistake gets a spotlight.Final Weekend (Mar 21–22): Quarterfinals/semifinals build to a 36-hole Championship Final on Sunday.
Competitor note: The Men’s Championship Flight is a walking championship — carts are not allowed for players and caddies.
Past Champions (Last 5 Years)
Men
2025 Mitchell Hoey
2024 Mikey Burkland
2023 Brandon Knight
2022 Michael Jensen
2021 Amol Mahal
Women
2025 Lana Yamagata
2024 Nicola Kaminski
2023 Olivia Duan
2022 Adora Liu
2021 Kesaree Rojanapeansatith
Senior
2025 Steve Johnson
2024 Randy Haag
2023 Randy Haag
2022 Chris Miller
2021 Andy Gabelman
Two Municipal Stages, One Championship Identity
The City’s identity is tied to its courses. The qualifier blends the championship demands of TPC Harding Park with the exposed, ocean-influenced test at Lincoln Park. That two-course equation is part of what makes the eventual brackets feel earned — and why March in San Francisco can reshuffle expectations in a hurry.
TPC Harding Park: Championship match play lives here — where every miss tends to compound.Lincoln Park: The proving ground for qualifying and seeding — and a course that rarely gives “comfortable.” A History That Feels Alive
While professional golf has come and gone at Harding Park, it’s amateur competition that has kept the legend of this storied public links alive. The San Francisco City Championship began in 1916, and over the decades it has become a tournament that locals talk about the way other places talk about majors.
The match that explains “The City”
In 1956, Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward met in a final that drew an estimated 10,000 fans — the kind of gallery that turns a municipal championship into a citywide event. It’s the sort of story that still hangs in the air at Harding Park when March arrives.
That’s the mystique: fog drifting in, cypress-lined corridors, and a month-long path that forces players to keep proving themselves — again and again — until only one is left.
How to Follow