Defending champ Anthony to meet Peterson in SF City final

Recent champions of the San Francisco City Championship have skewed young, but they include some of the finest Bay Area-based college players to pass through the game in recent years. In that respect, defending champion Jason Anthony is a little different.

At 35 years old, Anthony is making a case for the mid-ams. But with one more match-play victory at TPC Harding Park, the Fairfield, Calif., resident could stand out for another reason. Not since Jim Evans in 1996 has a San Francisco City champion defended his title.

Anthony, the No. 2 seed, advanced through his quarterfinal and semifinal matches on Saturday with relative ease. He took down Brett Viboch, 4 and 3, to start the day, then met Viboch’s four-ball partner Bobby Bucey (the two medaled at the 2018 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball) in the afternoon.

With more at stake, the afternoon match was a little tighter. Anthony advanced through that one by a 2-up margin.

On Sunday, Anthony will meet Evan Peterson for a 36-hole final. Peterson, the No. 12 seed, played even fewer holes than Anthony on Saturday. He defeated William Parker, 5 and 4, in the quarterfinals then took down Tony Verna, 6 and 5, in the semifinals.

Peterson is a redshirt junior on the St. Mary’s College roster who hails from Clovis, Calif.