Who are the best golfers in San Francisco? Harding Park decided

By John K. Abendroth

Special to The Examiner

The City crowned its new golf champions over the weekend for the 106th time. For some perspective on the San Francisco City Golf Championships, Woodrow Wilson was president the first year it was played.

Held at TPC Harding Park, the contest involves about 600 players each year, and it’s widely considered one of the longest-running amateur contests in the nation.

In terms of star power, “The City,” as the tournament is affectionately known, has hosted some big names over the years. Famed golfers Juli Inkster, George Archer and Ken Venturi are all past champions. Hall of Famers Tom Watson and Johnny Miller have both played in it, but neither ever won the championship.

This year, 17-year-old Adora Liu from Newark won the women’s championship, outlasting her good friend Olivia Duan in match play. Our new champ didn’t make a single bogey over the 28-hole finals. She plans to play for UC Berkeley in the fall.

On the men’s side, 35-year-old Michael Jensen came out on top with a victory over Kyle Dougherty. Jensen played steady golf, hitting most of the fairways en route to the win. He first played in “The City” some 20 years ago. In the intervening years, he played golf at Cal and went on to to a five-year professional career. Jensen grew up in Los Altos but now lives in San Francisco.

In a fun story that evolved on the final day, Chris Miller, who hails from Discovery Bay, won the senior championship while his daughter Sammie Miller went on to win the Juli Inkster flight, a secondary championship held for women participants. The two wore matching-colored shirts each of their matches and had fun having a photo taken together with their trophies. Sammie is also the reigning champion of the San Francisco City Junior Championship played at historic Lincoln Park.

John K. Abendroth, who is a member of the PGA, is a freelance contributor to The Examiner.