Trip Morris of Sherman Oaks routed Southern California amateur legend Tim Hogarth of Northridge, 6 and 4, to win the SCGA Match Play Championship on the Champions Course at Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad.
Morris, a freshman at Long Beach State, won four of the first six holes and led all the way against Hogarth, a three-time SCGA Player of the Year who captured the title in 2016 and has won numerous other amateur titles, including the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and the 1997 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.
“He’s a great player, (but) he didn’t have everything that I know he has,” said Morris,
who was runner-up in the SCGA Amateur Championship in July. “We just played real steady out there.
“I made a lot of good decisions off the tee all week. … Knew exactly where we’d be off the tee and it just turned into good iron play. Made a few putts here and there. I know that I’m as good as any of the guys out here. I just have a good feeling going into Long Beach.”
In the semifinals, Morris defeated Raymond Navis of Palm Desert, 2 up, and Hogarth trounced Kyle Rector of San Diego, 5 and 4.
John Mack of Alta Loma won the final three holes to capture the SCGA Senior Match Play Championship, 3 and 2, over Greg Moss of Santa Barbara.
In the semifinals, Moss coasted past Steve Bogan of the City of Industry, 5 and 4, and Mack defeated John Hoffman of San Diego, 2 and 1.
Caroline Cantlay of Los Alamitos, a junior at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, claimed the SCGA Women’s Match Play Championship by beating 15-year-old Amari Avery of Riverside, the reigning California Women’s Amateur champion, with a birdie on the first playoff hole.
Avery, who had a 3-up lead after nine holes, lipped out a birdie putt that would have extended the match.
In the semifinals, Cantlay edged Katherine Muzi of Newport Beach, 1 up, and Avery slipped past Corey Weworski of Carlsbad, 2 and 1.
For complete results, https://scga-2019scgamatchplaychampionshipexempt.golfgenius.com/pages/1779259
