Welcome to the 102nd California State Fair Tournament Portal

 

Registration opens on Thursday, January 15, 2026 at 01:00 AM and closes on Thursday, August 20, 2026 at 11:00 PM.

 

Tournament Details

 

Eligibility

 

The California State Fair Championship (SFC) is an elite amateur golf event attracting both International and USA players with an average index of +2.5 for the 108-player field. Most of the field is made up of “Exempt Players” based on WAGR ranking, Junior Tour Rankings or performance in Competitive Events. Any player meeting one of the Exemption Criteria listed below is eligible to register for the Championship. Players may also qualify for the Championship through one of two local Qualifying Championships, finish in the top 10% of any 2025 US Amateur Qualifier, or apply for a Merit Exemption (see specific Qualifying and Merit Exemption sections below for additional information).

Exemptions

Amateurs who meet one or more of the following exemption criteria may register for the Championship.

Amateur Ranking

Exempt Players based on Junior Tours

  • 2026 AJGA Top 300 Points List (at time of entry)
  • 2026 Junior Golf Scoreboard Top 300 Points List (at time of entry)
  • 2026 JGANC top 2 Points List (at time of entry)
  • 2026 JTNC top 2 Points List (at time of entry)
  • 2026 First Tee of Greater Sacramento junior tour player of the year as of August 1, 2026

Exempt Players based on Competitive Events

  • State Fair Men’s Championship: Top 45 and ties in 2025
  • Memorial Amateur: Top 20 in 2026
  • Sacramento County Men’s Championship: Top 10 in 2026
  • Sacramento City Men’s Championship: Top 10 in 2026
  • Top three players in the 2026 Sacramento Junior Championship presented by the Morton Golf Foundation
  • City Easter Junior Boys Champion in 2026
  • County Junior Boys Champion in 2026
  • Peggy Dodds Memorial Junior Boys Champion in 2026
  • State Fair Junior Boys Champion in 2026
  • State Fair Mid-Amateur Champion in 2026
  • San Francisco City Championship Champion & Runner-Up in 2026

Qualifying

Players who are not exempt can qualify to register for the State Fair Championship by any one of the following:

  • Pay the $25 qualifying fee when registering for the Sacramento City Championship, MacKenzie Course, Haggin Oaks GC, June 6-7, 2026 – finish in the top 20.
  • Pay the $25 qualifying fee when registering for the Sacramento County Championship, Ancil Hoffman GC, July 11-12, 2026 – finish in the top 20.
  • Finish in the top 10% of any U.S. Amateur Local Qualifier in 2026. If you choose this option, send an email to the State Fair Championship Tournament Director, Larry Glasmire, at larryglasmire@comcast.net and indicate the date and location of the US Am Local Qualifier in which you will compete BEFORE you enter the tournament. When the results of the Qualifier have been posted, we will confirm if you have finished in the top 10% and notify you how to register for the State Fair Championship.

Merit Exemption

Players who do not meet one of the exemption criteria and who do not qualify are welcome to submit an application for invitation. Please include your recent golfing resume and any other information to support your entry into the SFC. The Tournament Committee will review the golfing resumes, and in mid-August, announce the names of players for the tournament. Once a Merit Player is accepted into the tournament, he must register and pay within 2 days to confirm his place in the SFC.

 

Online Registration

 

Online registrations for the State Fair Championship will be processed using the Golf Genius Tournament Management Software. The first step in the process will be to create a profile that you can use to register. There is no charge for creating your profile. If you would like to create your profile now, click here.  Click on the green “Click Here to Register” button at the bottom of the page to create your profile. Follow the steps to register with your GHIN and last name. Or you can register without a GHIN.  If you have already setup your profile for another Sacramento Golf Council event, you can just sign in using your email address and password and proceed with your registration.

 

You will register for the tournament in a “pending” status until we confirm you meet the eligibility requirements. Once we have confirmed you are eligible, we will move you to confirmed status, at which point your credit card will be charged. Please allow 1-2 weeks for us to verify your eligibility. We do not “hold” any spots for Exempt or Qualified players, so entering as soon as possible is highly recommended.

 

Players who do not meet the eligibility requirements must fill out an application for invitation here. If you choose to register as noted above, your registration will be held in “pending” status until you qualify via one of the qualifying options or are approved for a merit exemption by the Tournament Committee.

 

Entry Fee: $389 - Includes:

  • All green fees for tournament play (3 rounds if making the cut)
  • Practice round green fee, cart fee and range balls on Friday afternoon
  • 1st Place trophy to the Champion with his name inscribed on the State Fair Men's Amateur Perpetual trophy
  • $1000 Morton Golf Gift Certificate to the Champion
  • $800 Morton Golf Gift Certificate to the 2nd Place finisher
  • $700 Morton Golf Gift Certificate to the 3rd Place finisher
  • Morton Golf Gift Certificates to the low 20 finishing scores

 

Tees: MacKenzie Tees on the Alister MacKenzie Course at about 7,000 yards.

 

Range Balls: Included in your entry fee.

 

Carts: Power carts may be rented in the pro shop at your expense.
 

Pairings: Click on the "Tee Sheets" link at the top of this page to view the pairings. Pairings will be posted about one week prior to the tournament. Play will be in threesomes with 10-minute intervals to improve pace of play. Please check in at the first tee about 10 minutes before your tee time.

 

Scoring - Scoring will be done using the Golf Genius Mobile App.  The electronic scorecard is the official score.  One person in each group will be asked to keep the electronic score for the group. Someone else in the group will keep the hard card as backup so scores can be reconciled at the end of the round.  All players must come to the scoring area to verify scores.  Not visiting the “official scoring table” immediately at the conclusion of the round may result in disqualification.