RENO (July 19, 2026)–Braden Armstrong (Scratch) and Eric Bickel (Net) won men’s titles in the 2026 Reno-Sparks City Championship. Emily Byrne (Scratch) and April Hackett (Net) were women’s champions in the Nevada Golf Northern Region tournament held July 18-19, 2026, at Sierra Sage Golf Course.–by Bill Bowman
MEN’S
Scratch
Braden Armstrong fired a sizzling opening round 61 and breezed to a seven-shot victory in the Men’s Scratch Division.
Armstrong, a senior at Jessup University in California where he is studying business, was bogey-free in the first round.
He said that first round was special.
“It was a great round to have with my dad (Joel) on the bag,” Armstrong said. “I just tried to stick with my game plan of being aggressive, making a lot of birdies and having fun.”
He said the chance of carding a 59 came into his mind on the 15th green.
“When I made birdie on 15 to get to nine-under I had my sights set on 59,” he said. “I knew if I finished three-under on the last three holes I would shoot a 59.”
He came close.
He parred the par-3 16th before birdieing the par-4 17th. That set the stage for the par-5 18th.
“I had a 24-foot putt for eagle and a 59,” he said. “Sadly, I three-putted for par but that’s golf. It was a great day nonetheless. There’s a little bit of heartache but also I’m grateful. It also makes you feel encouraged to play well but also knowing you just have to keep working on your game.”
Scratch
Braden Armstrong, 61-67—128
Conner Motherway, 69-66—135
Luke Swanson, 69-68—137
Net
Eric Bickel recorded nine net birdies in the final round and won the Net title by five strokes.
It was Bickel’s first Nevada Golf crown.
“I was like…I think I did something good but I’m not sure I understand the ramifications of it yet,” he said with a laugh.
Bickel added he’s playing in these events for the chance to go against tough competition.
“I wanted to play tougher courses with more competition,” he said. “The first one I played in I got a top-10. This one, the second time I’ve played in one, I had a great outcome. Now we get to see if I can repeat it.”
He said having never played the course before actually was a benefit.
“It forced me to keep my level of focus high the whole time,” he said. “I didn’t get the chance to relax. I did three-putt four times the first day, but only once today so that was a nice improvement.”
Net
Eric Bickel, 67-66—133
Eric Simpson, 71-67—138
Richard Florez, 69-69—138
WOMEN’S
Scratch
Emily Byrne birdied the final two holes of her opening round en route to winning the Women’s Scratch Division.
Byrne overcame an early troubling start–bogey, double bogey on the first two holes–to post her third individual win of the year to go along with a team title.
“It was two opposite rounds,” she said. “Yesterday I started bad and ended well and today I started well and ended bad.”
She added the victory has her mindset in a good place.
“Any time you find a way to win it helps your confidence,” she said. “It’s just a matter of finding a way to push through the tough parts of the round.”
Scratch
Emily Byrne, 77-81—158
Jessi Himphill, 100-92—192
Net
April Hackett, who won a team event earlier in the year, won her first individual title of 2026 with a three-stroke win in the Net Division.
Net
April Hackett, 69-70—139
Robin Richman, 69-73—142
