Skip to content

The Championship

A public championship, run the hard way.

Stroke-play qualifying into single-elimination match play, contested across two of the country's great municipal courses each March. This is how the City is won.

Format

Qualify, then survive.

The marquee Men’s Championship opens with 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying — one round at TPC Harding Park, one at Lincoln Park — from a field of 148. The low 64 advance into a single match-play bracket. From there it is single-elimination match play over the following weekends, culminating in a 36-hole final.

Every other division follows the same spirit at its own scale — an 18-hole qualifier seeding a bracket — while the Open flights are seeded strictly by Handicap Index and begin directly with match play, in flights named for the City’s legends. Carts are prohibited for players and caddies in the Men’s Championship.

36-hole stroke-play qualifying
Single-elimination match play
36-hole Championship finals
Walking only in the Championship

Divisions & Entry Fees

Find your division

Each division's complete schedule — qualifying through the final — is listed on its card.

Men's Championship

148 in qualifying · 64 to match play

Eligibility. An NCGA points event for amateurs of all abilities. Exempt players enter first, from November 1; entry opens to all applicants November 15. Exemptions: reached match play in 2025 or 2026, any past SF City champion, top 5 at a 2026–27 Winter Series event, top 20 in NCGA points, or any 2026 NCGA event champion. Non-exempt players enter through the Pre-Qualifier ($129).

Format. 36-hole stroke-play qualifier (18 at TPC Harding Park, 18 at Lincoln Park). The low 64 advance to a single 64-player match-play bracket — single-elimination, with the final contested over 36 holes. Carts are prohibited for players and caddies.

$399Enter

2027 Schedule

  1. Sat, Mar 6Stroke-play qualifying — Round 1TPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
  2. Sun, Mar 7Stroke-play qualifying — Round 2TPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
  3. Sat, Mar 13Match play — Round of 64TPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
  4. Sun, Mar 14Match play — Round of 32 & Round of 16TPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
  5. Sat, Mar 20Quarterfinals & SemifinalsTPC Harding Park
  6. Sun, Mar 2136-hole FinalTPC Harding Park

Men's Championship Pre-Qualifier

First 104 entries

Eligibility. Open to any amateur without a Men's Championship exemption. Low finishers advance into the Championship field.

Format. 18-hole stroke-play qualifier at Lincoln Park. The leaders earn one of the places reserved for qualifiers in the Men's Championship; the rest of that field is filled by exempt players.

$129Enter

2027 Schedule

  1. Fri, Mar 518-hole stroke-play pre-qualifyingLincoln Park

Qualifiers advance into the Men's Championship, which begins its own stroke-play qualifying on March 6.

Women's Championship

Inkster Flight

First 80 entries (shared with Women's Senior)

Eligibility. Open to women amateurs of all abilities. No handicap required.

Format. 18-hole stroke-play qualifier. Low 16 to the Championship bracket, 17–32 to the Inkster Flight. Single-elimination match play; 36-hole final.

$129Enter

2027 Schedule

  1. Fri, Mar 1218-hole stroke-play qualifyingLincoln Park
  2. Sat, Mar 13Match play — Round of 16TPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
  3. Sun, Mar 14Quarterfinals (Round of 8)TPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
  4. Sat, Mar 20SemifinalsTPC Harding Park
  5. Sun, Mar 2136-hole FinalTPC Harding Park

The Inkster Flight (places 17–32 from qualifying) plays its match-play rounds on the same days.

Men's Senior Championship

First 84 entries · 32 to match play

Eligibility. Men 55 and over with a Handicap Index of 9.4 or lower.

Format. 18-hole stroke-play qualifier; low 32 advance to single-elimination match play.

$270Enter

2027 Schedule

  1. Tue, Mar 1618-hole stroke-play qualifyingTPC Harding Park
  2. Wed, Mar 17Match play — Round of 32TPC Harding Park
  3. Thu, Mar 18Round of 16TPC Harding Park
  4. Fri, Mar 19QuarterfinalsTPC Harding Park
  5. Sat, Mar 20SemifinalsTPC Harding Park
  6. Sun, Mar 21FinalTPC Harding Park

Men's Super Senior

First 48 entries · 16 to match play

Eligibility. Men 65 and over with a Handicap Index of 9.4 or lower.

Format. 18-hole stroke-play qualifier; low 16 advance to single-elimination match play.

$270Enter

2027 Schedule

  1. Wed, Mar 1718-hole stroke-play qualifyingTPC Harding Park
  2. Thu, Mar 18Match play — Round of 16TPC Harding Park
  3. Fri, Mar 19QuarterfinalsTPC Harding Park
  4. Sat, Mar 20SemifinalsTPC Harding Park
  5. Sun, Mar 21FinalTPC Harding Park

Women's Senior

Within the 80-player women's field

Eligibility. Women 50 and over. No handicap required.

Format. 18-hole stroke-play qualifier seeding a match-play bracket.

$129Enter

2027 Schedule

  1. Fri, Mar 1218-hole stroke-play qualifyingLincoln Park
  2. Sun, Mar 14Match play — First roundTPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
  3. Sat, Mar 20SemifinalsTPC Harding Park
  4. Sun, Mar 21FinalTPC Harding Park

Open Flights

First 108 entries

Eligibility. Open to all handicap levels. Flighted by Handicap Index.

Format. Seeded strictly by Handicap Index and begun directly as single-elimination match play, in named flights.

$129Enter

2027 Schedule

  1. Sat, Mar 13Match play — First roundTPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
  2. Sun, Mar 14Second roundTPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
  3. Sat, Mar 20SemifinalsTPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
  4. Sun, Mar 21FinalTPC Harding Park

Seeded strictly by Handicap Index; each named flight (Archer, Rosberg, Susko, Ward) plays on these days.

Venues

Two courses, a century of the City

The championship is played where San Francisco golf began — and where it still lives, on public land above the Pacific.

TPC Harding Park
TPC Harding Park

TPC Harding Park

Primary championship venue

Opened July 18, 1925 · Par 72 · 7,169 yards

Laid out along the shores of Lake Merced and named for President Warren G. Harding, the course opened in 1925 to the same design partnership — Willie Watson and Sam Whiting — behind the Olympic Club's Lake Course next door.


99 Harding Road, San Francisco, CA 94132Explore the course
Lincoln Park Golf Course
Lincoln Park Golf Course

Lincoln Park Golf Course

Original venue · qualifying & Open flights

Opened 1902 (City play from 1916) · Par 68 · 5,416 yards

The championship's birthplace. Perched on the bluffs above the Golden Gate, Lincoln Park wraps around the Palace of the Legion of Honor with the bridge filling the horizon from the 17th tee — arguably the finest view in municipal golf.


300 34th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94121Explore the course

2027 Schedule

Championship week by week

All divisions, qualifying through the finals. Tee times and pairings are posted to Results as the draw is set.

Fri, Mar 5
Pre-Qualifier18-hole stroke-play pre-qualifying· Lincoln Park
Sat, Mar 6
ChampionshipStroke-play qualifying — Round 1· TPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
Sun, Mar 7
ChampionshipStroke-play qualifying — Round 2· TPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
Fri, Mar 12
Women's18-hole stroke-play qualifying· Lincoln Park
Women's Senior18-hole stroke-play qualifying· Lincoln Park
Sat, Mar 13
ChampionshipMatch play — Round of 64· TPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
Women'sMatch play — Round of 16· TPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
OpenMatch play — First round· TPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
Sun, Mar 14
ChampionshipMatch play — Round of 32 & Round of 16· TPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
Women'sQuarterfinals (Round of 8)· TPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
Women's SeniorMatch play — First round· TPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
OpenSecond round· TPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
Tue, Mar 16
Senior18-hole stroke-play qualifying· TPC Harding Park
Wed, Mar 17
SeniorMatch play — Round of 32· TPC Harding Park
Super Senior18-hole stroke-play qualifying· TPC Harding Park
Thu, Mar 18
SeniorRound of 16· TPC Harding Park
Super SeniorMatch play — Round of 16· TPC Harding Park
Fri, Mar 19
SeniorQuarterfinals· TPC Harding Park
Super SeniorQuarterfinals· TPC Harding Park
Sat, Mar 20
ChampionshipQuarterfinals & Semifinals· TPC Harding Park
Women'sSemifinals· TPC Harding Park
SeniorSemifinals· TPC Harding Park
Super SeniorSemifinals· TPC Harding Park
Women's SeniorSemifinals· TPC Harding Park
OpenSemifinals· TPC Harding Park · Lincoln Park
Sun, Mar 21
Championship36-hole Final· TPC Harding Park
Women's36-hole Final· TPC Harding Park
SeniorFinal· TPC Harding Park
Super SeniorFinal· TPC Harding Park
Women's SeniorFinal· TPC Harding Park
OpenFinal· TPC Harding Park

Friends of the City

A championship this old stays affordable only on purpose.

Gifts from players, families and local businesses keep entry fees within reach and the oldest city championship in golf on the tee every March.