Kim captures Glendale City Golf Championship
GLENDALE — Daniel G. Kim wasn’t thinking about the possibility of a playoff during the final round of the fifth annual Glendale City Golf Championship on Monday.
The Valencia resident bogeyed the par-five 18th hole at Oakmont Country Club, yet didn’t show much emotion. Kim then sported a big smile after Erik Stratton double-bogeyed the hole, giving Kim the championship by one stroke.
Kim shot a gross score of eight-over-par 79 to finish with a two-round tally of 139. The Master’s College graduate topped Stratton, Fidel Rodriguez and Lawrence Breaux by one stroke.
“I had a couple of good fairway shots on the final hole and I think that helped me get into good position,” said Kim, who shot an even-par 60 in the qualifying round at Scholl Canyon Golf Course on Thursday and entered Monday’s round in third behind Rodriguez, Jesse Toribio and Stratton. “Then I was off on a couple of shots and got the bogey. I wasn’t going to be thinking about anything else other than what I needed to do to give me a chance at winning.
“It turned out to be a bogey. This is a very tough course, one that I hadn’t played in about three years. I had to be conservative and aggressive at the same time. It’s great to be able to win this.”
Stratton, a former member of the Glendale Community College men’s golf team, could have forced a playoff on the 18th had he bogeyed. Instead, his 10-foot shot rolled just past the hole and left him with an 81.
“It was just a matter of missing too many putts throughout my round,” said Stratton, an Arcadia resident who opened with a 59. “I also had some errant tee shots that cost me a bit.
“On the last hole, I hit my first two shots off the trees and I tried to bounce back. I did everything I could to try to force a playoff. It’s tough.”
Rodriguez, who was runner-up in the event last year, finished with an 82 on Monday after carding a 58 in the opening round. Breaux notched a 76 on Monday after beginning with a 64 to put him in a tie for seventh.
Ryan Early had an 81 for a two-round total of 142 and Christopher Campbell carded a 79 for 142 to finish tied for fifth.
Rick Harris, an Oakmont member, captured the tournament’s Deukmejian flight for the first time after finishing runner-up last year. Harris, a La Cañada Flintridge resident, had a net score of 68 to top Jason Vaughan by three shots. Harris finished with a 127.
“I just had a smooth swing the whole round,” said Harris, a La Cañada High graduate. “It was all about tempo and my putting was good. I had a fantastic time because you get to meet people you wouldn’t meet otherwise.”
Glendale resident Jerry Piro won the Verdugo flight for the second year in a row. Piro finished with a net score of 70 to win by six shots over Patrick Gelwicks. Piro came into the last round tied with Carlos Casanova, who shot an 89 on Monday to finish at 147.
Ian Martin, a Village Christian graduate, won the Brand flight. Martin had a net score of 70 and finished at 124. He bested Michael Kukuczka, who fired a 68 on Monday, by four strokes.
All proceeds from the event benefited the Glendale Parks and Open Space Foundation, a non-profit organization. The event was sponsored by Trusted Choice.
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Charles Rich, charles.rich@latimes.com
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
