In the girls division, Serena Sepersky of Temecula held off a hard-charging field to win by 3 strokes. Serena took advantage of normal conditions during an opening round 2-under 70 in which she carded four birdies, including three in the final five holes.
Battling serious winds on day two, Serena plotted her way around the course, trying to minimize major errors. The result was a 3-shot victory at 3-over par 147.
“It feels amazing, although it’s still sinking in a little bit,” said Serena. “I think tomorrow I’ll be really happy and realize that I actually did something with my life!”
With her win, Serena earns a spot in the 2018 SCGA Women's Amateur Championship, which will be held in August at Valencia CC.
Over in the boys division, Adam Matteson cruised to a 4-shot victory. Sitting in second place after the first round, Adam was able to turn on the jets to the tune of four birdies in very difficult conditions.
“I played a lot of controlled shots,” said Matteson, a San Diego resident. “I took more club and hit it a little softer in order to control the flight.”
Adam’s 2-under 70 in the final round was one of only two rounds under par for the entire field, which included 104 competitors for 36 holes of play over two days.
Ryan Smith of Carlsbad and Edwin Kuang of Murrieta finished in a tie for second place at 1-under.
With the win, Adam earns a spot in the 2018 SCGA Amateur Championship, which will be held at La Jolla CC in July. He also earned an exemption to the 2018 California Amateur Championship, which will be held in June at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.