Fink Survives Five-Man Playoff at Bandon Dunes
David Fink, of Honolulu, sank a 10-
foot birdie putt on the fourth hole in a
five-person, sudden-death playoff to
win the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship at Bandon Dunes Golf Course in
Coos, Ore. 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 Oregon State,
defeated Anton Arboleda, of La Canada,
David Fink
Calif. (UCLA), Michael Anderson, of
Phoenix (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 one shot out
of the playoff, including Carl Johnson,
of Bainbridge Island, Wash. (UNLV),
first round co-leader Lorens Chan, of
Honolulu (incoming UCLA freshman)
and Maxwell Marisco, of Las Vegas
(Penn). Johnson rebounded from an
opening-round 80 at Bandon Trails
to shoot under par in the final three
rounds, including a 2-under-par 70 in
Saturday’s final. Third-round leader
Jarred Bossio, of Olympia, Wash.
(Idaho) struggled to an 82 in the final
round 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 making 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
three and two-putted for a par. Anderson and Arboleda reached the green of
the par- 5 hole safely in regulation 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.
Taeksoo Kim Anton Arboleda
portunity for me.”
Anderson, who tied the course record
at Bandon Trails in the third round with a
4-under-par 66, hit a wedge shot to with-
in 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 to earn his spot in the playoff.
RESULTS: INDIVIDUAL | MORSE CUP
PACIFIC COAST AMATEUR NOTES
ers to win the title (Michael and Andrew
Putnam later duplicated that feat).
This marks the second time that
Bandon Dunes has hosted the PCA. In
2005, Alex Prugh, of Spokane, Wash.,
came from behind on the last round to
post a two-shot victory over Clay Odgen,
of Utah, joining his brother, Corey Prugh,
the 2001 champion, as the first broth-
The oldest player in the field, Brady
Exber, 56, of Las Vegas, finished eight
shots behind the leaders in a tie for 22nd
place. l
