Two Days. Two Courses. One Incredible Showcase of Women’s Golf.
The 2026 Long Beach Women’s City Championship and City Challenge teed off in style this week, delivering a full weekend of competitive fire, elite ball-striking, and the kind of championship energy that defines the Long Beach Golf Festival. Celebrating its historic 98th year, this tournament continues to drive the legacy of women's golf in Southern California forward, one swing at a time.
From the opening tee shots at Recreation Park 18 to the final putts at Skylinks, this year’s field showed up ready—and the results did not disappoint.
Day One: Rec Park 18 Sets the Stage
Big Swings, Big Personalities, Big Championship Energy
Day One opened with a massive surge of momentum as players stepped onto the first tee box at Recreation Park 18. The atmosphere was electric—filled with confident swings, bold personalities, and a deep field of over 40 competitors who came ready to make a definitive statement.
Greenside News was stationed behind the lens to capture every single opening tee shot from both the Women’s City Championship and the City Challenge divisions, giving local fans a complete look at the talented field as the tournament officially got underway.
The historic, tree-lined layout of "Rec Park" heavily rewarded absolute precision off the tee while severely punishing anything less. The early action quickly turned into a masterclass of styles:
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Veteran poise kept experienced local players steady through tight fairways.
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Fearless newcomers showed zero hesitation, launching aggressive drives and attacking pins.
As the afternoon progressed, the leaderboard tightened significantly across the board. Contenders rapidly emerged out of the pack—but with 18 holes left to play, nothing was settled. Skylinks was waiting, and everyone knew the final round would decide everything.
Setting Up an Epic Sunday Finish
The brilliant foundation poured on Day One set up a legendary Championship Sunday. Early momentum belonged to Sophia Fujita, who put on a ball-striking clinic to card a steady, opening-round 71 (-1) to lead the charge. Keeping the pressure firmly intact was Sarah Mutai, who showed remarkable consistency by firing an even-par 72.
Though the wind and pressure of Skylinks still loomed, Day One proved that the talent pool in SoCal is deeper than ever.
