CARMEL, Calif. (Aug. 7, 2014) – Quarterfinal and semifinal matches were contested today in the 48th annual California Women’s Amateur Championship. It appears we will have a NorCal vs. SoCal showdown in tomorrow’s final 18-hole match. Carmen Gutierrez Ballon, a sophomore at Cal Berkeley will pair up against USC sophomore Victoria Morgan.

Gutierrez Ballon made her way to the finals with a morning quarterfinal victory over Texas Christian University player, Alexandara Sborov. The match seesawed on the front nine, but Gutierrez Ballon’s solid 1-under-par back nine sealed the deal taking it 4 & 3.

Her semifinal match-up was against 17-year-old Sydney Babiak of Martinez. Babiak defeated 14-year old Kiran Sangha in the morning quarterfinals 2-up. The Gutierrez-Babiak match was all square after the front nine. Babiak fought back with a birdie at 10 to go 1-up, but Gutierrez Ballon rallied in the end to take it 3 & 2.

Morgan (pictured) garnered her berth to the finals after a close quarterfinal match against Felicia Medalla of Daly City. All square through 7 holes with all pars from both players, the pair traded bogeys at 8 and 9 to again square it up. Medalla took the lead with a win at 11, but gave it back with a bogey at 13. The turning point was an eagle for Morgan to Medalla’s birdie at the par 5 14th. The two parred in to the 18th granting Morgan the 1-up victory.

Northwestern’s Hannah Kim, who in the quarterfinals dispatched of Cal Poly’s Madison Hirsch in a close 1-up victory, battled Morgan in the semifinals. Even par on the front nine with one birdie and one bogey, Morgan was 3-up at the turn. Late round birdies from Kim at 11, 14 and 15 weren’t enough to overcome the rocky start and Morgan sealed the deal with a birdie of her own at 12 and a couple of pars at 16 and 17 to take the match 2 & 1.

The final 18-hole match tomorrow between Carmen Gutierrez Ballon and Victoria Morgan is scheduled for a 7:30 start at the Golf Club at Quail Lodge.

In the Helen Lengfeld flight, 13- year-old Ty Akabane of Danville defeated 15-year-old Hailey White, also of Danville, in a decisive 7 & 6 win and is set to meet Renata Young, a physician’s assistant of Walnut Creek, in the finals. Young made her way to the final match with a 5 & 4 victory over 16-year-old Emma Reyes in the semifinals.

The Helen Lengfeld final match is set to start at 7:40 a.m tomorrow.

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