IAGA Quick Hits | 7.28.26
The Choe-sen One, Nina Choe Claims the 96th Women’s Amateur at Pinehaven
From New York State Golf Association
History was made at the 96th NYS Women’s Amateur Championship, as Nina Choe capped off a remarkable summer by becoming just the second player in NYSGA history to win both the Girls’ 18U Junior Amateur and the Women’s Amateur Championship in the same year.
Nina Choe continued a dominant summer winning the 96th NYS Women’s Amateur Championship at Pinehaven on Tuesday. Her final round of 67, four-under, meant a two stroke victory over Sophia Li; it was the lowest round of the tournament.
Choe, a member of Pelham Country Club, also won the Girls’ 18U Junior Amateur earlier this month at Cavalry Club in Syracuse. She and NYSGA Hall of Fame member Dottie Pepper are the only two people to have won the Girls’ 18U Junior Amateur and the Women’s Amateur Championship in the same year.
With the win, Choe gained exemption to the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at The Honors Course in Ooltewah Tennessee next month. It will be her first U.S. Women’s Am.
“I played a qualifier [for the U.S. Women’s Amateur] earlier this year and I missed by a couple shots so knowing I had a second chance was great,” Choe said.
From The Prep Tour to Indiana Open Champion
From Indiana Golf
There are some victories that mean more than a trophy.
When Brayden Miller rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to win the 111th Indiana Open Championship at Brickyard Crossing Golf Club, he wasn’t just celebrating the biggest victory of his career. He was completing a journey that began nearly a decade earlier as a young golfer teeing it up in an Indiana Golf Prep Tour event.
Like so many junior golfers across the state, Miller’s story with Indiana Golf started with opportunity. Growing up in Goshen, he entered his first Indiana Golf event in 2016, beginning a path that would take him through nearly every level of junior competition the association offers. From the Prep Tour to the Junior Tour, Masters Tour and championship events, Miller developed his game one tournament at a time while competing alongside many of the same players he would eventually face in this year’s Indiana Open.
Along the way, he embraced every opportunity to compete. Miller advanced to the Drive, Chip & Putt sub-regional in both 2018 and 2019, won an Indiana Golf Age Group Championship, captured Boys State Junior Championships in both 2022 and 2024, and recorded multiple top-five and top-10 finishes in the Boys PGA Junior Championship and Hoosier Junior Championship. By the time he graduated from Indiana Golf’s junior programming, he had competed in more than 40 Indiana Golf events.
Now, Miller continues that journey as a member of the University of Cincinnati men’s golf team, where he competes at the Division I level. But despite moving on to college golf, Indiana Golf championships remain an important part of his competitive schedule.
Women’s Golf Day in NorCal
From Northern California Golf Association
When Women’s Golf Day was founded in 2016, it was a single-day celebration.
What began as a single-day celebration has grown into a week-long global event, and once again Northern California was part of the festivities. On May 30, Women’s Golf Day was celebrated at venues around the region, including Corica Park Golf Complex in Alameda, where the Golden Bay Women’s Golf Club hosted a special event organized in large part by golf influencer and NCGA ambassador Judy Tran. The NCGA was proud to be part of the day, joining golfers in celebrating and growing the women’s game.
Among the highlights from the day were a friendly 9-hole best ball tournament, skills competitions, health and fitness expos and info and goodie booths from some of the event’s sponsors.
What is Women’s Golf Day? Women’s Golf Day is a collaborative effort by a dedicated team, golf management companies, retailers and organizations all working together to engage, empower and support girls and women through golf. The four hour experience allows a simple and accessible platform to build a foundation and creates a network to support the continuation of golf no matter what skill level or interest while engaging them in a charitable cause with global impact from a local level.
What to Do in Your Retirement? Well, You Could Buy a Golf Course, and Kyle Wiggins Did Just That with Tolt Golf Club
From WA Golf
Residents of the Snoqualmie Valley town of Carnation, Wash. have made their love of golf known for nearly 60 years. Their local course – known initially as Carnation Golf Course and later Blue Heron Golf Course – could always count on its tee sheets being full, at least until the place closed in 2024.
Not two years later, Kyle Wiggins, with assistance from Dan Tachell – the son of Bob Tachell, the course’s original designer and owner – have been leading an effort to revitalize the course to the beloved local fixture it had always been.
It is now known as Tolt Golf Club, the first word reflecting the original Lushootseed-derived name of the surrounding town.
Already accomplished at the new Tolt has been a remodeling of the clubhouse and driving range, with plenty more upgrades and purchases planned for the coming years. As of May 2026, Tolt is already up and running to some capacity and, even with some scattered damage still visible from winter floods, has attracted hometown hitters in droves.
“Everybody’s super excited it’s back open,” said Wiggins, eagerly. “All these people missed the course and all the history – it’s been around since 1967.”