Cassidy Phelan (Gross) and Ashley Tarkanian (Net) won titles in the women’s 2024 Southern Nevada Amateur. The tournament, which was also the qualifier for the 2024 Silver Cup team for the South team, was held June 10-11, 2024, at Canyon Gate Country Club.—Bill Bowman, Las Vegas Golf Insider
Gross
Cassidy Phelan eagled the par-5 seventh hole both days of the tournament en route to a four-stroke victory in the gross division.
It was Phelan’s second WSNGA title as she also won this tournament in 2022.
She will be a senior at Colorado Mesa this fall after graduating from Southeast Career Technical Academy.
Phelan said winning this top event will fit nicely on her growing resume.
“I love playing in this tournament,” she said. “Everyone is amazing and I’m super thankful for everyone who helps out. It’s great to go up against an impressive field and be able to win.”
She said the two eagles on the seventh hole definitely sparked her round both days.
“I crushed the drive each time,” she said. “The first time I was 160 yards out and today I was 152 yards out. I hit the green both times and drained the eagle putts. I played the hole very well both days and it really helped my mindset going forward.”
And with the talent in the field, it was needed.
“There were some really competitive girls out here,” she said. “There were Division 1 girls and to win this is a confidence booster.”
Phelan isn’t just playing golf this summer…she’s also working.
“I’m a sales intern with Boston Beer,” she said. “So I have a lot going on. I figure the early bird gets the worm. I go out at 6 a.m. and get my practice in, go home and shower and then head in to work.”
It’s the next step in her life as she heads into her senior year.
“It just proves that ‘hey, you can manage your time,’ ” she said. “It just gives me a little more confidence in myself that I’m on the right track.”
And going forward, her schoolwork and golf will always be intertwined.
“My education will always come first,” she said. “Getting my degree is so important but golf will also be there. It’s always about making sure I’m putting myself in position to be successful…and reaching for the stars.”
Gross
Cassidy Phelan, 70-74—144
Lilly DeNunzio, 74-74—148
Brittany Bronson, 76-74—150
Net
Ashely Tarkanian, granddaughter of legendary UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, had a net eagle and a natural birdie late in her second round to rally for the net victory in a three-way scorecard playoff.
It was Tarkanian’s first WSNGA victory. Recently, she wound up third in the 2023 Nevada State Junior Amateur Championship held last June at Dayton Valley Country Club.
“This was my first event so to play this well against some other college players makes me feel good,” said Tarkanian, a graduate of Bishop Manogue in Northern Nevada.
After a gap year, she plans to attend Fresno State this fall to play golf.
“I’m looking forward to this fall at Fresno State,” she said. “I know I’ve still got a lot of room for improvement and I’ll get a lot of help at school.”
This week she said her play was solid…but not spectacular.
“I only lost one ball and that was because I chunked it,” she said with a laugh. “I just tried to keep my head on straight trying to get back into the rhythm of scoring.”
She went into the second day with a positive attitude…and a goal.
“I was six strokes behind the leader,” she said. “I figured I could come out and shoot a low round and try to get myself back into it. I just focused on each shot and tried to make the lowest score on each hole.”
It worked.
“I mostly attacked the pin and gave myself a lot of 8-10 footers,” she said. “I had two chances for eagle and six chances for birdie so I was giving myself a lot of good looks.”
Net
x-Ashley Tarkanian, 73-71—144
Karen Bernard, 72-72-144
Sarah Scott, 71-73—144
x-won in a scorecard playoff
18 Qualify For South Team For 2024 Silver Cup
Eighteen players, nine on the gross side and nine on the net side, qualified for the South team to play in the 2024 Silver Cup.
The three-day tournament will be held Oct. 15-17, 2024, at Canyon Gate Country Club.
The South team won last year, 21-19 at Dayton Valley Golf Club, to snap a two-year losing streak. The victory was the South’s first win at a North site since 2001.
“We’re looking forward to having the North down here,” said Debbie Love, South co-captain along with Christina Soscia. “We took a lot of time trying to figure out where we are a strong team and went with gross first and then net.”
Love said the team will get plenty of time to work together.
“This year, with the event being here, we are planning to do more practicing,” she said. “We intend to have two or three practices per month to try to get the strongest team we can. That way we can fill out the pairings and give ourselves the best chance to win again.”
2024 Silver Cup South Qualifiers
Gross: Brittany Bronson, Ronda Henderson, Regina Quintero, Ashley Vaughn, Monica Ledes, Brooke Hempel, Christina Brandt, Brenda Knott and Theresa Prospero. Alternates: Maria Foti and Debbie Love.
Net: Karen Bernard, Sarah Scott, Maureen Martin, Helen Welsh, Gabriele Buonacorsi, My Paulsen, Karen Huckabay, Anne Goodson, Leinani Yosaitis. Alternate: Sarah Kim.
