by Yianni Gogonas

VIDEO UPDATE:

June 24, 2017: The California Amateur Golf Championship finalists are out on a foggy Olympic Club competing for the title in a 36-hole match. Here's what PJ Samiere of San Diego State Men's Golf and Noah Norton had to say before they teed off.



SEMIFINAL UPDATE

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (June 23, 2017) -- There are just two players left at Olympic Club. One of them will be crowned state champion tomorrow. Noah Norton of Chico will play P.J. Daniele in Saturday's 36-hole final. Here are the semifinal recaps:

P.J. Samiere def. Henry Chung (4&3)

P.J. Samiere lit up the lake course this afternoon. The former Southwestern Amateur Champion played the track at three-under par, effectively handling USF Don, Henry Chung. Chung stayed tight with Samiere until the course’s signature 8th, where his birdie two would give him a 1-up lead, one that he would build on with a winning par on the 10th, and birdies on 12 and 14. The match would end on the 15th as a halved hole at the par three would not be enough to force any more golf.

Noah Norton def. Spencer Soosman (4&3)

Much like Samiere, Noah Norton played close to pristine golf in his semifinal match. In fifteen holes, he was able to roll in five birdies, only making two bogeys. This made for a difficult match for Spencer Soosman, who just wasn’t able to find the game he needed to have a good chance of winning. Like Samiere vs. Chung, this match also ended with a halved hole at the 15th.

QUARTERFINAL SUMMARY

It's down to four players at the California Amateur. They are on the course in the semifinals this afternoon, with a 36-hole final match set for Saturday. If you love amateur golf, get out there and watch the best amateurs in California tackle a U.S. Open venue at Olympic Club's Lakeside Course.

The four semifinalists are Danny Ochoa, P.J. Samiere, Noah Norton, and Spencer Soosman. Check back with us for a summary of the two matches, which will pair Chung against Samiere and Norton against Soosman. One of these four will be the California Amateur champion on Saturday. Here is the breakdown from Friday morning:

Henry Chung def. Danny Ochoa (19 Holes)

USC’s Danny Ochoa took a quick lead, winning the very tough par-3 3rd hole with a par and then pushing his lead to 2-up with a birdie on the 5th.  The University of San Francisco’s own Henry Chung then went on to win the 7th, 10th, 11th, and 12th holes making par’s on all of them.  Ochoa’s answers came on 14 and 16, which he managed to win with bogey and par, respectively, squaring up the match once again. After 18, the pair were still at a stalemate, forcing the pair to return to the 9th tee box. Chung was able to make a clutch birdie on the long par-4, concluding the match.

P.J. Samiere def. Franklin Huang (19 Holes)

Neither player was able to take a decisive lead through the first twelve holes. San Diego State Aztec golfer P.J. Samiere made a par on the 2nd, which was good enough to win the hole, but lost his advantage with a bogey on the 5th.  Stanford’s Franklin Huang then did the same, winning the course’s signature par-3 8th hole and losing the lead one hole later. Advantage would continue to go back-and-forth through the 18th, where P.J. Samiere was able to make a birdie to force a playoff hole on the par-4 9th. Samiere’s par on the 19th was enough to end Huang’s hopes of winning the Championship.

Noah Norton def. Josh McCarthy (2-up)

The third match to leave the tee this morning also proved to be action packed, with multiple lead changes throughout the day.  Noah Norton of Georgia Tech won the first hole for an early 1-up lead, but by the 7th, the advantage was with Pepperdine’s Josh McCarthy. Norton, however, was able to win the 13th, 14th, and 15th holes, putting him 2-up, a lead that McCarthy was not able to overcome.

Spencer Soosman def. Brian Song (4&2)

UCLA Bruin recruit turned Texas Longhorn, Spencer Soosman played champion-like golf today on the Lake Course. In the 16 holes it took to defeat San Diego State golfer, Brian Song, Soosman managed to navigate the extremely unforgiving Lake Course at 1-under-par. While Song was ahead early in the match Soosman’s stellar play proved to be too much to beat.

For live scoring from afternoon matches, click on the results link below.

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