Tuesday's field of 64 golfers in the 107th North and South Women's Amateur Championship, has been whittled down to the final two as 11-seed Sydney Clayton and the fourth seed Amelia Lewis are set to square off on Pinehurst No. 2 for the 36-hole championship match scheduled to start Saturday morning at 8 a.m.

In Friday's first semifinal match, Lewis got off to a steady start through her first five holes to build a 3-up lead over ninth-seeded Jaclyn Sweeny. By the time the two reached the eighth hole, Lewis' lead had grown to 5-up.

Then on the 275-yard par 4 12th hole, Lewis hit a bomb off the tee that landed on the green. The result was a two-putt birdie that put her 6-up and made the match dormie. After Sweeny made a four-foot birdie on hole 13 to extend the match, Lewis then closed things out with a birdie on the 14th hole to post a 6 and 4.

Lewis, who is from Jacksonville, Fla., will be a freshman for the University of Florida's women golf team this fall. The 18-year-old future Gator said that the hot weather she played in during four matches on Thursday and Friday was really a non-factor for her.

"I know how to deal with the heat," said Lewis. "Where I am from I am used to it."

Judging from the way she got around Donald Ross' famed Pinehurst No.2 on Friday afternoon it seems that she also knows how to deal with the heat of high pressure competition. Lewis consistently found the fairway with her driver and the greens with her irons, as she constantly applied pressure to her opponent during her semifinal match. In 15 holes she carded only one bogey and made three birdies.

"My driver was really working for me today," Lewis said, "it was both accurate and long. I also hit nearly every green, so I was giving myself plenty of birdie opportunities. While I did not make many putts, at the same time I was not giving anything up either, which is crucial in match play."

With her favorite all-time player being Payne Stewart, topped by the fact that she loves Donald Ross and that her first home course, San Jose Country Club, was designed by him, Lewis was all smiles after winning her semifinal contest

"I love everything about Pinehurst, the people the course, everything," she said. "With Payne being my favorite (player) this is, of course, the ultimate course I wanted to play. The greens out here are just amazing, so to be honest I am just thrilled to have made it this far."

While Lewis is happy she has come this far, she is still very much hoping to host the Putter Boy trophy come Saturday afternoon

"I am very confident with the way I am playing right now," said Lewis. "Everything is working out about as well as I could hope with my game.

"Since this is my first North and South, I don't really know how it will be in the championship match. I have played with Sydney before and I know she is a great player but I am very confident and also think I am pretty good as well."

Clanton, who is from the Tar Heel state and plays her golf at Auburn University, where she is a rising sophomore, said she was also accustomed to playing in the heat. One thing is for certain, Clanton's game was sizzling from the start of her match with seventh seed Lisa McCloskey.

Hailing from Rockwell, Clanton had three birdies on the front nine as well as a double-eagle. With a 1-up lead Clanton struck her second shot on the 482-yard par 5 fourth hole with a 5-iron, from approximately 190 yards out, and the ball finished up in the bottom of the cup. The incredible shot gave her a 2-up advantage.

"It was like amazing," Clanton said when describing her first-ever double eagle. "I hit is so perfect, and it landed just on the green, then bounced once and rolled in. So it was pretty amazing."

From there, Clanton then birdied another hole to go 3-up in the match. In fact, aside from the double eagle, she birdied all of the other par 5s she played in the match, making her 6-under on the four par-5s Friday afternoon.

"I just hit the ball really well today," Clanton said, "and the way I performed on the par fives was a definite help. I was also hitting fairways and greens all-round, which is key out here (on Pinehurst No. 2)"

As the twosome made the turn, Clanton still held her 3-up advantage. She then won holes 11 and 13 with pars to take a 5-up lead and bring the match to dormie. On the 400-yard par 4 14th, a McCloskey 10-foot par-save extended the match to the par-3 15th, where a pair of conceded par putts brought the contest to a close, as Clanton prevailed 4 and 3.

After the win, Clanton seemed upbeat about her chances in Saturday's 36-hole final

"I played a bit with Lewis when we were juniors," Clanton said, " and she (Lewis) is a solid player so it should be a good match. One thing is certain, it is going to be a long day -- 36 holes-- so you just have to take it one shot at a time and be patient out there."

Saturday's 36-hole championship match begins on the first tee of Pinehurst No. 2 at 8 am. The afternoon round is expected to start at approximately noon.

Contact F.W. Manning II at 639-5481 or by e-mail at frankwm2@gmail.com