BANDON, ORE. (July 27, 2012) – David Fink of Honolulu, Hawaii sank a 10-foot birdie putt on the 4th hole in a five-person, sudden-death playoff today to win the 46th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship at Bandon Dunes Golf Course. It was the largest playoff in the tournament’s history. Michael Putnam won a three-way playoff to capture the title in 2004 at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore.
Fink, who plays for the Oregon State Beavers, defeated Anton Arboleda of La Canada, Calif. (UCLA), Michael Anderson of Phoenix, Ariz. (Washington State), Matt Rawitzer of Bellingham, Wash. (Oregon State) and Taeksoo (T.K.) Kim of Maui, Hawaii (Boise State). All five finished the 72-holes of regulation play at 7-over par, 291. Two rounds were played at Bandon Trails GC and two at Bandon Dunes GC.
Three golfers finished 1-shot out of the playoff, including Carl Jonson of Bainbridge Island, Wash. (UNLV), first round co-leader Lorens Chan of Honolulu, Hawaii (incoming UCLA freshman) and Maxwell Marisco of Las Vegas, Nev. (Penn). Jonson rebounded from an opening round of 80 at Bandon Trails to shoot under par in the final three rounds, including a 2-under-par 70 today. Third-round leader Jarred Bossio of Olympia, Wash. (Idaho) struggled to an 82 today and finished tied for 12th.
On the first playoff hole (the 558-yard, par-5 18th), Kim put his tee shot in the hazard right of the fairway but ended up sinking an eight-foot par putt to stay alive. Fink sailed his tee shot into thick rough on the left of the fairway, pitched out, reached the green in 3 and two-putted for a par. Anderson and Arboleda reached the green of the par-5 hole safely in shots and two-putted for par.
After all five players parred the 17th hole, Rawitzer and Kim were eliminated on the third playoff hole (the playoff used Nos. 18, 17, 18, 17) when they made pars while the others were making birdie.
Returning to the 17th hole for a second time in the playoff, Arboleda’s approach was hole high, but off the green in the same location it was the first time the playoff hole was played. Anderson was 25-feet short of the hole. Both missed their birdie attempts leaving Fink, whose approach shot finished 10-feet right of the hole the opportunity he was waiting for.
Rawitzer appeared to have the championship in hand until he made double-bogey 5 on the 15th hole after sending his tee shot into the 15-foot-deep greenside bunker and the made bogey 4 on the 17th when he misfired his approach shot. He finished today at 3 over-par 75. Kim, who grew up in Maui, made an eight-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to finish off a 2-under-par 70 in regulation.
Fink, who fired a 2-under-par 70 today, could have won the event outright but missed a five-foot birdie putt on the 558-yard, par-5 finishing hole. He was suprised to find out that he still had an opportunity for a second chance coming in with the lead in the clubhouse. “Bandon Dunes is one of those courses that anything is possible.Right when I teed off today, there was fog and not really much wind and I really felt people could take it deep, so I was shocked to learn that I still had a chance,” said Fink. “It was a great opportunity for me.”
Anderson, who tied the course record yesterday at Bandon Trails with a 66, hit a wedge shot to within two feet and sank the birdie putt on the final hole of regulation. He finished at 1-under-par 71. Arboleda, runner-up in last year’s championship, shot even-par 72 today.
The oldest player in the field, Brady Exber, 56, of Las Vegas, Nev. finished 8-shots behind the leaders in a tied for 22nd place.