California Amateur: Samiere birdies No. 18 to win, 1 up

SAN FRANCISCO, California (June 24, 2017) -- The match just ended at the Olympic Club. P.J. Samiere will always remember the 18th hole at Olympic Club, wherever his golf game takes him.

That's because his birdies on the hole were key in his California Amateur victory today over Noah Norton of Chico.

Let's back it up again to the morning front nine, played in fog so thick that players couldn't see their ball landing.

"Fortunately we've played six matches to get here," said Samiere on the range before the round. "So we know the course pretty well."

That's for sure. The first six holes of the "Lakeside" course at Olympic Club are hard enough when it's 70 degrees and sunny, let alone at 8:00am with the air as thick as pea soup. In addition the visibility, it makes everything wet, and missing the tight fairways of that challenging opening stretch is even more penal.

MORNING VIDEO INTERVIEWS:
Here's what P.J. Samiere of San Diego State Men's Golf and Noah Norton had to say before they teed off.



You can tell how a person is playing by looking at their shoes after six holes. If they are wet and with grass and sand around the edges, and the bottom of the pant legs are wet, things might not be going so well.

As it worked out, Samiere made four bogeys in the first five holes, and was four down to Norton, who recorded 5-straight pars. If you've played Olympic Club, you know how good that start is. Samiere was in such a hole at that point that it's amazing he went to the lunch break at just 2-down. But his birdie on No. 17, followed by another on No. 18 helped make things a little more palatable at the lunch table.

The Hawaii native, who plays for San Diego state, made a statement at the start of the second half of the 36-hole final, starting birdie-par to square the match. Norton would fall behind, then catch up, with a key par on No. 13 (their 31st hole) squaring the match.

The pair matched pars on Nos. 14, 15, and 16 and both birdied the 17th, (their 35th hole) setting the stage for Samiere to put the match away, building on his morning confidence on the short but diabolical hole (remember Ben Hogan?)

Congratulations to both players on a match well played.