San Francisco resident Stevie Umali got the victory in what was basically her backyard.
Umali, a 17-year-old high school senior-to-be who has already committed to the University of Colorado, carded a final round 3-under 69 to win the Girls' title with a 54-hole score of 7-under 209.
A semifinalist at the recent California Junior Girls' State Championship, Umali lives about 5 miles from Lake Merced GC.
"I love this course so much. It feels good to take home a win. I'm so excited," said Umali, who along with the win earned an automatic exemption into the 2027 U.S. Junior Girls' Championship at Canterbury CC in Ohio. "I was glad that I got a lot of chances to make birdie. I'm glad a lot of them went in."
Entering the final round, Umali trailed Palo Alto's Emma Wang by three shots. While Wang slipped to a final round 74, Umali, coming off a second round 64, again found a groove. Her final round 69 featured four birdies and just one bogey. More importantly, Umali also never blew up. She'd card 13 very important pars in the finale.
Wang, who opened play with solid rounds of 71-66, struggled at times on her way to a 74 and three-day total of 211.
"Emma is such a great player. It's such a great and fun experience playing with her," Umali said. "I just tried to stay patient and focused on my game."
Along with competing in the California Junior Girls' State Championship, Umali recently played in the Singapore Masters. The experience of those two events was a big help, Umali said. It also helped that her mom was again on hand to root her on.
"I used some of what I learned in those events this week," Umali said. "My mom is always there for me clapping. I am so thankful for her."
Jayleen Sito placed third at 220 following a final round 75.
Alameda resident Kailer Stone has been on quite a roll lately. So much so that he accomplished something that hadn't been done since the 1940's.
Stone, the winner of the recent California Amateur Championship, posted a final round 3-under 69 to win the Boys' title by two shots over Pebble Beach resident Calvin Etcheverry.
In winning, Stone, who's headed to Pepperdine University this fall, made history. He'd become the first Boys' player to make it a threepeat at the NCGA Junior since Eddie Fry, who won three straight from 1941-1943. The three wins matched Fry as well for the most victories in the event's long history. Past winners of the championship include NCGA Hall of Famers Ken Venturi, Johnny Miller and Bobby Clampett.
"It feels great. I am honored to win three in a row," said Stone, who finished with a 54-hole total of 11-under 205. "I like the way the course (Lake Merced) looks. It was fun."
At the California Amateur, Stone won three matches, including the final, in extra holes. He again had to weather a storm late, as Etcheverry held a two-shot lead through the 15th hole in the final round. A member of the Stevenson School State title team, Etcheverry would, however, bogey both the 16th and 17th holes in succession. With a par on the 17th, Stone forged a tie as both headed to the 18th tee.
On the par-5 18th, Etcheverry hit his second shot into the greenside bunker on the right. His third shot sailed over the green and into another bunker, eventually leading to another bogey. Stone, meanwhile, got on in two, and calmly two-putted for birdie to seal his latest victory.
Etcheverry finished with a 73 and 54-hole total of 207 to claim runner-up. Arno Wehle and Nathan Tarter finished tied for third at 210. Wehle would be awarded third place due to a lower round for the day (66).
"The main thing here was that I kept it in play off the tee. There aren't many places you can miss here and still be OK," Stone said.
Along with his ball-striking, Stone pointed to his mental game as a reason for his recent run of success.
"With these wins, the mental game is really strong right now. Just a lot of positive talk to myself right now when I am out on the course, " Stone said.
Tarter had the shot of the final round, acing the 149-yard, par-3 13th hole. In the first round, Stone aced the par-3 7th hole.
