Joe Fryer of Santa Ana lost the first hole in the final, but then took command and claimed the 11th Southern California Match Play title with a 4-and-2 victory over Cody Hall of Wildomar at Bear Creek Golf Club in Murrieta.
Fryer became the first player to win the SCGA Amateur and the SCGA Match Play titles in the same year.
Hall, who was behind in all four of his previous matches before winning, made three straight bogeys to fall 4-down at the turn, but got back into the game with by winning the 10th and 11th holes with birdies.
However, the reigning SCGA Four-Ball champion and California Amateur medalist stumbled again with bogeys on the 12th and 13th holes.
Fryer, top-seeded in match play as the stroke-play medalist, was dormie on the 16th tee, where he hit his 7-iron tee shot to within four feet of the hole. After Hall was unable to sink his chip shot for a birdie, he conceded the match.
In the semifinals, Fryer defeated Hunter Epson of Long Beach, 3 and 1, after getting past Tyler Moore of Escondido in the quarterfinals on the 19th hole.
Hall beat Ashwin Arasu of San Diego on the 21st hole in the semifinals and turned back Josh McCollum of Upland, 1 up, in the quarters.
Arasu eliminated 2016 champion Tim Hogarth of Northridge, who recently won the Los Angeles City Match Play Championship for his ninth L.A. City title, 3up, in the quarterfinals.
For complete results, visit https://scga-2018scgamatchplaychampionshipexempt.golfgenius.com/pages/1278301
