Rosen (Tucson) started the day going five under through the first five holes that was sparked by a hole in one on the 137-yard par 3 second hole. He followed that with bogeys on the sixth and eight holes to finish the font nine three-under par. On the back nine, he missed a number of short birdie putts and finally sunk one on the 17th hole, ultimately giving him a comfortable margin heading to the 18th.

“This is the biggest day of my life,” a victorious Rosen said. “It means so much to me to have my name on the same trophy as Ken Kellaney, who is such a great amateur player and to be associated with Dr. Ed Updegraff, who is from Tucson Country Club and means so much to the game.

“It felt like I shot 59. I had good birdie looks nine through18 with nothing more than 20 feet. My whole goal today was to not make bogeys. My putter felt good. I was hitting the ball well all week. Five minutes before I left the range I figured something out and I said trust it.”

Park, who started the day with a three-shot lead, struggled with his long irons and finished alone in second having posted a one-under 71and four-under 278 for the Championship. A concillatory Park was disappointed with his long iron play, but was generally pleased that this his potentially last AGA major ended with a second place finish.

“I started with a birdie and didn’t play that badly,” he said. “He (Matt) played really well and deserved the victory. I’m pretty happy with how I played and having finished fourth last year, this is really good.”

Rosen’s ace, which proved to be a key factor in his win, held special meaning as it was his first hole in one since recently turning 21.

“The cool part is now I can buy everyone a drink,” he said. “I had 124 to the hole and 116 to carry the bunker - not a full pitching wedge. The ball went a little right of the pin and then it drew in. I was off the ground.”

Earlier this year, Rosen reached the Sweet 16 at the Arizona Amateur, losing to good friend Brian Prouty, who went on to reach the championship match. He also placed first at The Medalist in Fountain Hills and the Phoenix College Invitational.

Robin McCool (Bethelham, PA), the 2004 Arizona Public Links champion, was one of two players who had a five-under 66 for the low round of the day, which moved him up to sole possession of third place with a three-under 279. Last year, he finished the tournament in fifth place.

Bryan Hoops (Chandler), the winner of the Arizona Mid-Amateur, started the day two shots behind Park and finished four strokes behind Rosen shooting a one-over 72. His seven-under 63 at Lone Tree Golf Club on Friday gave him a one-shot lead over Park going into the weekend.

“Overall it has been a great year and I’ve played really well,” Hoops said. “Today was a blah round. I didn’t hit the irons as well as I have been and the 12-13 footers weren’t dropping like they have the last few days. It took me until the backside to get it going.

He played the front nine at two-over par and then got it back to even with birdies on 12 and 15.

“Coming down the back stretch, I knew to have a chance I needed to get it going. On the 17th (593-yard par 5) I tried to step it up and make three, but I ended up with a six. I just got going a little to late.

Defending champion Ken Kellaney (Phoenix) shot a two-under 69 and finished five strokes off the pace alone in fifth. Former champions Chad Hossack (Gilbert) finished tied for 16th and
Mark Sollenger finished tied for 25th.

Hossack, who did not defend his title in 2001, because he enlisted in the army following Sept 11, stated that he was just happy to be back playing competitive golf and brings with him a new perspective.

“It’s good to play a tournament again,” he said. “Once you win it you figure you can win it every time and it just takes a lot of work to make that happen. I was a bit rusty and the mental process I took for granted. It takes a lot to pull the trigger each time.

“I take golf for what it is,” he said. “I love the game, but I know there are other things more important then getting angry when I miss those bad shots. It’s probably added years to my life. It’s more fun now and I just take it in stride.”

2005 marked the 10th consecutive year the Raven Golf Club at South Mountain has hosted the Arizona Stroke Play Championship, a 72-hole, walking only Arizona Golf Association major. Bryce Fisher was the last Scottsdale Community College player to win the Stroke Play. He did it in 2001.

To find out more information about the Raven's 10th Anniversary Golf Tournament and auction on Monday, Dec. 12 Click Here. A limited number of spots are available and AGA Members Receive a Special Rate by contacting Ryan Barmore at 602-304-3720.

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Final results from the Arizona Golf Association Stroke Play Championship, played at The Raven GC @ South Mountain and Lone Tree GC:

About The Raven Golf Club at South Mountain:
Opened in 1995 and designed by Gary Panks and David Graham, The Raven Golf Club at South Mountain, located at 3636 E. Baseline Road, is considered one of the best public golf courses in the Southwest. Raven Golf is Intrawest Golf's premier brand of daily-fee properties. Golf courses bearing the Raven name meet exceptionally high standards of quality for course conditions, guest service, playability, and overall guest experience. In addition to the Raven at South Mountain, Raven Golf Clubs are located in Buckeye, Ariz.; Destin, Fla.; Silverthorne, Colo.; Snowshoe, W. Va.; and Thornbury, Ont. Canada (2006) Visit www.ravenatsouthmountain.com