San Francisco City: first-time champ guaranteed with four left

After a long weekend at TPC Harding Park, the Men's Championship is down to the final four players, setting up a final weekend which will crown a first-time champion.

Three matches were played over the weekend -- one Saturday and two Sunday -- paring the field from 32 down to four semifinalists.

Normally, the match play field for the San Francisco City is 64, but the field was compressed, and the tournament played earlier this year, due to preparations for the PGA Championship which will be held at TPC Harding Park in May. It will be the first-ever major hosted by Harding Park.

The upside to the changes is the conditioning of the golf course. As two-time senior champion Jim Knoll attested (and he has played his fair share of City championships), it may be the best playing conditions ever seen for this championship. "What a privilege to able to play a course as it prepares itself for a major championship," said Knoll. "Most of us will never have this opportunity again!"

Domingo Jojola, the No. 32 seed who got into the match play on the qualifying number, won his three matches to reach the semifinal round. On Saturday, he got a big win over the qualifying medalist and 2018 champion Jason Anthony, 2 and 1. Then on Sunday, he really got on a roll, winning on the 13th hole in the morning and then on the 15th hole in the afternoon against Ty Macias.

Related: Jason Anthony earns Medalist honors at San Francisco City

Jojola will face Michael Jensen, the No. 4 seed who cruised Saturday 5 and 4, and then on Sunday got a 2 and 1 win over Ryan Grauman and a 4 and 3 win over Sam Harris.

Tony Verna made the semifinals for the second-straight year. Last year he lost to the eventual champion Evan Peterson, but hopes to succeed him as champion this year. After narrow wins on the 19th hole and 2 up, Verna got it going Sunday afternoon with a 5 and 4 win over Andrew Biggadike.

Related: Peterson finds his inner fire in winning San Francisco City

Verna will face first-time City championship participant Charles Porter, who played 37 holes on Sunday but pulled out both matches to reach the semis. He edged out Alex Chin on the 19th hole in a tight battle on Sunday afternoon.

Alex Chin (Mike Benham photo)

Former California Amateur champion Bobby Bucey, a semifinalist here a year ago, fell in his second round match to Chin.

Women's Championship

The women were the last group to start their championship, with stroke play qualifying held on Saturday and the first round of matches played on Sunday.

Leigh Chien was the qualifying medalist, shooting the only under-par round, a 2-under 70. Faith Low was second with an even-par 72 but took the No. 3 seed into match play as the defending champion, Danielle Suh, was seeded No. 2.

The top 16 players qualified for the Championship bracket, while the next 16 made the Inskter Flight bracket.

Eight players remain after a couple of surprises that saw both Suh and Low lose their matches. One thing is for certain though -- youth will be served next weekend. Every remaining player is a teenager, with Andrea Gomez the oldest at the age of 18.