The finals match exploded with energy and excitement as Borrelli took a 1 up lead after the opening hole but Sophie Guo, a sophomore at the University of Texas, bounced back to win three straight holes, courtesy of two impressive birdies on No. 2 and the uphill par-3 fourth.
The University of San Francisco senior continued her onslaught with a win on No. 9, a birdie on the tough uphill 10th and another birdie on No. 11 to catapult herself into a 3 up lead heading down last of the back nine, capping a stretch of seven holes where she won five.
As both players continued to trade blows, Guo battled back with a birdie to take No. 13 to trim the lead to 2 up. But on the next box, Guo hooked a tee shot into the trees on the left side of the fairway, which caught a fortuitous bounce and left her 200+ yards into the par-4. With Borrelli sitting perfectly in the fairway, Guo roped a 3-wood up near the green and lipped out her chip for birdie. With the pressure squarely on her, Borrelli narrowly missed her birdie effort to keep the match at 2 up.
Standing on the 15th tee box, fresh off dodging a bullet on the previous hole, Guo pulled another tee shot left while Borrelli found another fairway. As was the theme on this afternoon, Guo pulled a fairway metal from a sidehill rough lie and stuffed it to 15 feet. Up on the green, Borrelli stared down a 40-foot uphill putt for birdie that never left the center of the hole, leaving the match at 3 up with three to go.5️⃣ days. 7️⃣ matches. 156 competitors.
— SCGA (@thescga) July 23, 2021
☝️ California Women's Amateur Champion.
Congrats to Annika Borrelli! @USFDonsWGOLF
Full recap and 📸: https://t.co/TzqC5Qke6v pic.twitter.com/wlZCFEDODb
After finding the green on No. 16, Guo went flag hunting and left her shot short in the bunker, needing a miracle to extend the match. As Guo’s bunker shot flew past the hole, Borrelli knew victory was hers. She two-putted and enjoyed an emotional embrace with her caddie and father, plus the numerous supporters who followed her all day.