Saki Iida wins AWGA State Amateur Stroke Play Championship

Lynn Kolstad wins 1st Place Gross in the 1st Flight

by Mary Ann Souter

At only 16 years old, Saki Iida is now an AWGA State Champion. In 2010, at 15, she won the Day in Hades Tournament after a four hole on-course playoff. Now she has won an even more prestigious title, one of the four AWGA State Championships. With a field consisting of past Stroke Play Champions Kerry Postillion, Brittany Penny, Lauren Weaver and Tui Selvaratnam, it was no small feat for Saki to emerge victorious with a score of 214, four strokes ahead of Kerry Postillion.

Saki, a Junior at Hamilton High School and member of the Hamilton HS Golf Team is also a long-time member of the Junior Golf Association of Arizona. She was the 2009 Girls State Junior Golf Champion and was runner-up in 2010 and 2011. She also won the 2011 Phoenix City Junior Championship and the Thunderbird Junior Classic.

Winning the AWGA State Amateur Stroke Play Championship is a major accomplishment for a young golfer who has had minimal experience competing against seasoned golfers with proven talent.  And although the group is growing, teen winners of major events are still a small elite group in the AWGA.

Lynn Kolstad, a veteran golfer and long-time member of the AWGA, has played in several AWGA Championships and has placed in her flight before. But this time, her skill on the course brought her to a new level. Lynn won 1st Place Gross in the 1st Flight with a score of 255.

With a handicap of 14, she has earned a place on the annual State Medallion Club Team three times – this year representing Dobson Ranch WGA at the tournament and twice before representing Encanto WGA. Lynn is currently President of the Encanto WGA and has been a member there since 2005 when she retired.

Arizona’s leader in women’s golf since 1924, the Arizona Women’s Golf Association (AWGA) supports over 25,000 members at all skill levels. The AWGA is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization which promotes and maintains the best interests and true spirit of the game. For further information or to join, visit www.awga.org or call 800.442.2942.