Ty Akabane (L) and Kathleen Scavo will face off at Quail Lodge (NCGA photo)
CARMEL, CA (July 27, 2018) - It’ll be No.1 seed Ty Akabane vs. No. 14 Kathleen Scavo in the final of this year’s annual California Women’s Amateur Championship.
Akabane, a senior at San Ramon Valley High, earned her ticket to the 18-hole finale via a 19-hole quarterfinals victory over Sabrina Iqbal and a 2 and 1 win semifinals win over Maria Davis on Friday at par-72 Quail Lodge Resort.
In her match against Iqbal, Akabane was 2-down through 14 holes, and for the second day in a row looked like she was on her way home. Instead, she again rallied, this time birdying the 15th to cut the gap to 1-up, and then tying the match with another birdie on 18. On the 19th hole (par-5 1st), Akabane carded an eagle to best Iqbal’s birdie. Iqbal won the championship in 2016.
In the afternoon semis, Akabane took a 2-up lead with wins on the 4th and 5th holes and never looked back. Davis, who plays at Long Beach State, got it back to 1-up with a par win on the 14th, but Akabane re-upped the lead to two holes with a par win of her own on the 16th.
Scavo, a senior at the University of Oregon and a former two-time winner of the California Junior Girls’ State Championship, eked out a 20th hole win over Alice Duan in the quarterfinals before knocking out Natasha Oon in the semis, 2 and 1.
In the morning match against Duan, no one ever held more than a 1-up lead. Scavo won the par-3 17th to go 1-up, but Duan rebounded with a birdie win on the 18th to knot things up. After halving the 19th hole, Scavo won on the 20th when Duan carded a double-bogey.
Against Oon, who’ll begin playing at San Jose State this fall, Scavo went 3-under through the first eight holes to build a commanding 4-up lead. Oon tried to make things interesting, winning holes No.15 and No.16 late to cut the gap to two holes, but the two halved the 17th with pars.
Saturday’s 18-hole final will tee off at 7:30 a.m.
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ABOUT THE
California Women's Amateur
The California Women’s Amateur Championship was
founded in 1967 and played at Pebble Beach Golf
Links until 1987 when the Championship was invited
to Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel, where it was
played through 2019.
36-hole stroke play qualifying
round, 18 holes each day, to determine 32
players
for match play. Prizes will be awarded
to the Champion, Runner-up, Semifinalists,
Quarterfinalists
and the 36-hole Low Gross Medalist
from qualifying rounds.
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