After posting a solid round of 1-under par 71 on Saturday, Kevin Kim found himself in 2nd place, sitting three shots behind Cameron Tringale's impressive 1st round score of 68. Not to be discouraged, Kim managed to put together back-to-back rounds of safe, steady play to finish the tournament at 1-under par 71-72-143 that resulted in a two stroke victory over Tringale who faltered on Sunday, posting a 77 to trade places with Kim and finish 2nd (68-77-145).

The low score of the tournament belongs to Tringale and Joel Fieri of San Diego who carded a 68 on Sunday by shaving 12 strokes off of his 1st round score of 80 to finish in a tie for 5th place at 148. Other notable finishes include SCGA President and Saddleback College golf coach Bill Cunerty who claimed a tie for 7th place with a score of 77-73 - 150. Meanwhile, Tijeras Creek General Manager Rick Convertini shot 81-84-165 and last year's runner-up, David Kendall finished tied for 8th with a final score of 76-75-151.

After orchestrating another successful event for the 3rd year in a row, Tournament Founder and Director Dave Hopkins has now put his signature on a great tournament that has just made an indelible mark on the local tournament circuit. Making the tournament a qualifier for the SCGA Amateur Championship certainly helped secure a quality field while going a long way toward legitimizing the young event.

Furthermore, the course is looking as lush as I have seen it and the outstanding playing conditions will apparently contribute to the return of many players to next year's tournament. After shooting 76-74-150 to tie Coach Cunerty and Masao Sugimoto for 10th place and a tee prize of $130 in script, Marc Kearns of Irvine gave immediate feedback about his experience at this year's event, "Tijeras Creek is in excellent condition. The tournament was great. I'll make sure I come back next year!"

Participant Scott Blair, who shot a 79-81-160, commended Hopkins on his efforts and course conditions, "Great job with the tourney, I enjoyed myself and the course was in great condition… Keep me in the loop for your next event."

Expressing his satisfaction with the results, Hopkins summarized the weekend this way, "The tournament went over very well. Hopefully the combination of a competitive field, strong sponsorship support by Cox Communications and Sake Sushi as well as the beautiful conditions gave every player a positive experience that brings them back next year."

The RSM Net Championship & Senior Championship will be held this Fall with dates to be announced, so competitive golfers who carry an index should check the Tijeras Creek web site at www.tijerascreek.com for information as details are finalized in the coming months.

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Final results from the Rancho Santa Margarita Amateur, played at Tijeras Creek Golf Club: