Weaver in Amateur final

Cal’s Michael Weaver wouldn’t stop believing it was his day, even after his big lead started to dwindle.

Buoyed by four birdies on the front nine, including a 50-foot putt on the par-3 eighth, Weaver shook off Justin Thomas’ late run for a 3-and-2 victory Saturday and a berth in the U.S. Amateur final at Cherry Hills Village, Colo.

“Whenever you make a putt like that, it’s a little bit of luck,” Weaver said. “But you know, it was just kind of one of those days when it’s your day. It’s just going to go in. That’s how the whole front nine kind of was. I really felt like I couldn’t do anything wrong. It was just all going my way.”

Weaver will face Steven Fox of Hendersonville, Tenn., on Sunday in the 36-hole championship match. Fox, a senior at Tennessee-Chattanooga, beat Brandon Hagy, Weaver’s teammate at Cal, 2-up.

Weaver, a 21-year-old from Fresno, opened his semifinal match with Thomas with three consecutive birdies to go 2-up. He stretched his lead to 5-up after the 10th hole and withstood a rally by Thomas, an Alabama freshman who won three of four holes to close the gap to two.

“I just kept hitting good shots and kept giving myself chances,” Weaver said. Briefly: Sergio Garcia shot a 4-under-par 66 to take the lead at 14-under 196 after three rounds at the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C. … Japan’s Mika Miyazato shot a 4-under 68 to take a two-stroke lead after the second round of the LPGA Tour’s Safeway Classic at North Plains, Ore. … John Huston shot a 5-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead over Brad Faxon after the second round of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open at Endicott, N.Y., a Champions Tour event.