Zachery Pollo wins the California Amateur

When it was all finally over, Rocklin resident Zachery Pollo finally cracked a big smile. Pollo (pronounced Po-Lo) joined the likes of Johnny Miller, Ken Venturi and Xander Schauffele as a California Amateur champion, defeating runner-up Dylan Oyama, 5 and 4, in the 36-hole final held Saturday at par-72 Lake Merced Golf Club. An 18-year-old sophomore-to-be at University of Arizona, Pollo is one of the event's youngest winners. Mac Hunter won the 1972 title at 16. Immediately after his victory, Pollo started receiving congratulatory texts from Wildcats head coach Jim Anderson as well as some of his teammates, including 2021 NCGA Amateur champ Sam Sommerhauser. "It feels good. Coming into it, I knew it would be a long week," said Pollo, a former standout on the Junior Tour of Northern California. "There's a lot of golf. You just try to prepare yourself. Fortunately, I was able to come out on top." In the morning portion of the final, Pollo and Oyama see-sawed with neither ever holding more than a 2-up lead. Tied through 16 holes, Pollo grabbed a 1-up lead on the 17th when Oyama failed to reach the green in regulation, leading to a bogey. The two tied the 18th hole with pars.