Two Women Earn 2025 Women’s Southern Nevada Golf Amateur Titles and 18 Qualify for Prestigious Silver Cup Matches

Ashley Tarkanian (Gross), and Laura DeLucia (Net) won titles in the 2025 WSNGA Southern Nevada Amateur. The tournament was also the 2025 Silver Cup qualifier with 18 players earning spots on this year’s team representing the South. The tournament was held June 16-17, 2025, at DragonRidge Country Club.—by Bill Bowman, Las Vegas Golf Insider

Gross

Ashley Tarkanian, the 2024 Net winner in the WSNGA Southern Nevada Amateur, added the Gross title to her resume in 2025.

Tarkanian birdied the final two holes to force a playoff and won the title with a birdie on the third playoff hole, holing a 30-foot putt.

“It feels much better to win this one,”

she said. “I just kept the ball in play and played smart. I picked the right clubs and made a lot of putts. It feels good to win this impressive event.”

Tarkanian, who just finished up her college season at Fresno State, is transferring to Palm Beach Atlantic in Florida because of a coaching change.

“This win is going to give me a lot of confidence going forward,” she said. “It’s going to be a great new start.”

She said her battle with Lilly DeNunzio was one she won’t forget.

“I played at Bishop Manogue (Reno) and Lilly was a great player at Coronado,” Tarkanian said. “She was so impressive. To even be close was amazing and to win makes it that much better.”

The closing two birdies in the final round showed her how much her game has improved.

“When you’ve got a chance to make or break your round, it really lets you know where your mindset is,” she said. “I was being more positive on the back nine and actually hitting balls in the places I wanted them to go.”

Tarkanian said the win was great, but she had a bigger takeaway from the two days.

“I made some really good friends and saw some really good golf played,” she said. “It was an impressive two days.”

Gross

x-Ashley Tarkanian, 70-73—143

Lilly DeNunzio, 77-66—143

Ronda Henderson, 82-75—157

x-Won on third playoff hole

Net

Laura DeLucia played a six-hole stretch in seven-under-par (one net eagle, one natural birdie and four net birdies) in the second round en route to a seven-shot win in the Net Division.

“I haven’t played competitive golf in awhile,” DeLucia said. “I played a partners event in May but it’s been awhile. And to win an event this prestigious is great. It’s something I wasn’t expecting but it’s something to build on.”

She said her competitive play dates back 20-plus years.

“Well, I played college golf in Hawaii and graduated in 2004,” she said with a laugh. “After that I stopped playing competitive golf while I went to work.”

Now, she hopes she’s making a comeback.

“I’m getting back into it and this turned out to be a great opportunity,” she said.

DeLucia added the win was anything but easy.

“I had a triple and a double early in the round,” she said of her final round. “I had to grind out three birdies just to stay alive.”

She also said her mindset helped keep her focused.

“For me, it’s just one shot and one hole at a time,” she said. “I just have to let it go (making bad shots).”

In the end, it was two days that have sparked a renewed interest in competitive golf.

“It was two very challenging days on this golf course,” she said. “I just tried to stay positive and hit the best shot I could each shot. It brought back the competitive drive.”

Net

Laura DeLucia, 70-68—138

Ashley Vaughn, 72-73—145

Christina Brandt, 69-76—145

18 Players Earn Spots On Silver Cup Team

Eighteen players were named to the South’s 2025 Silver Cup team during the 2025 WSNGA Southern Nevada Amateur held at DragonRidge.

The 2025 Silver Cup event will be held Sept. 28-30, 2025, at Somersett Country Club in Reno.

The South won the 2024 event when it was played at Canyon Gate Country Club. The victory, the South’s second straight, cut the North’s overall lead to 18-14.

The Silver Cup originated in 1993 and was inspired by professional golf’s Ryder and Solheim cups.

Nine players were selected in the gross competition with nine more selected in the net. Two other players, one in gross and one in net, will be selected as the event gets closer.

Debbie Love, co-captain of the South team along with Autumn Dorini, said the players on the 2025 team are ready for the chance for three in a row.

“We’re hoping for a three-peat,” Love said. “We are very excited. We do have a lot of experienced players but we have people who haven’t had Silver Cup experience. We’ll have to figure out the best way to use everyone to give us the best chance to win.”

Love added the 2025 team has the makeup to keep the cup for another year.

“All of these girls are very good golfers,” Love said. “Just because they don’t have Silver Cup experience doesn’t mean they aren’t good players. We just have to utilize them the best way possible and work with them on the team play aspects.”

The players below qualified via their finish in the Southern Nevada Amateur, and are eligible to play as either net or gross in the Silver Cup.

South’s Gross Qualifiers

Ronda Henderson, Debbie Love, Brittney Bronson, Julia Choi, Rusty Beckel, Normalita Imamoto, Melody Frei, Sherry Jackson, Stefanie Southbloom.

South’s Net Qualifiers

Laura DeLucia, Ashley Vaughn, Christina Brandt, Regina Quintero, Karen Bernard, Juliet Hebert, Debbie Katz, Jill Morrison, Brooke Hempel.

Alternates

Leinani Yosatis, Sarah Scott, Jin Lee, E Wright.