Fresno City: Paniccia defends

Story by Daniel Lyght, Fresno Bee SALINAS, Calif. (May 30, 2011) --Danny Paniccia won his third Fresno City Amateur golf title Monday at Riverside Golf Course. That tiny white dimpled ball rolled Paniccia's way nearly all day. Most of the time it was because of his skill -- like when he put a vicious backspin on his approach on the 16th hole. But sometimes it was just plain luck -- like when his shot on No. 14 hit off a fence and bounced in-bounds onto the fringe, leading to a birdie. "If he would have [gone out of bounds], he would have had a two-shot penalty. I could be leading the tournament," second-place finisher Ryan Higton said. "So it was definitely the shot of the day for him." Paniccia coupled that luck on 14 with birdies on the final three holes to finish at 7 under, four strokes ahead of both Higton and final-round charger Sung Kim in the event's 84th edition.