Victor Findley, 35, of Coconut Creek shot a final-round 2-over 73 for a 54-hole 218 at Innisbrook's Copperhead course to win the Innisbrook Amateur Championship.
Two former area high school standouts, Seminole's Kyle Christman (Winthrop University) and Countryside's David Cosper (Rollins) tied for second at 223.
"I just tried to hit the fairways and the middle of the greens," said Findley, who has a zero handicap at Colony West in Tamarac.
"I got off to a good (final day) start on the long par-5 first hole where I ran in a 10-foot putt for a birdie," he said.
Findley went on to birdie the par-3 15th, which plays to 218 yards. He had four bogeys.
Tampa's Don Lucas produced the final day's best score (72) in the 73-player field. Christman, twice the Times Pinellas Player of the Year, carded an opening-round 1-under 71 at Innisbrook's Island course.
The performance placed him a stroke back of the leader entering the second day's match. Christman slipped to 75, then finished with a 6-over 77 on the famous Copperhead layout.
"I just didn't get up and down the way I should have," Christman said. "Findley was making the putts and I wasn't.
"It was a good tournament, well-run by Doug Laseter. I hope to play in it again."
Christman has returned to the practice facility at Tampa Bay Downs where he works closely with PGA teaching pro Dan Nease. Last week, they practiced long-iron play, the object being to hit approach shots closer to the pin.
Next on Christman's schedule is the Aug. 4-5 U.S. Amateur qualifier at Avila. He finished eighth in the 2002 qualifier but received only an alternate slot.
This year's championship is Aug. 18-24 at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club.
"I'm looking forward to my senior year at Winthrop, where I hope to win the conference (NCAA Division I Big South) again next spring," said Christman, who captured the individual title as a sophomore.
Christman said any thought of turning pro will be put on hold for two years.
He plans to attend graduate school in 2004 to pursue a master's degree in business administration. He's majoring in finance at the South Carolina college.
Asked about his assessment of Brittany Lincicome's game and the prospects for the Seminole teenager's future, Christman said:
"She was very good when I played with her a year and a half ago at Mangrove Bay. Her scores are much better now. If she feels she can do it, she should try to go pro now rather than go to college."
Cosper, a key member of Rollins' NCAA Division II Championships runner-up team, shot a 2-over 73 to match Findley's score the final day of the Innisbrook tournament.
Cosper's best round in the event, however, was the day before on the Island course.
At one point, he was 5-over with five holes to play. Two eagles and a birdie promptly got him back to even par for the round. The eagles came by way of a hole-in-one on a 185-yard hole and a 3 on a par-5.
Earlier last month, Cosper teamed with an incoming Rollins freshman to win the State Four-Ball qualifier at Palma Ceia with an 8-under 64. They will compete for the championship in Naples starting Saturday. Palm Harbor's Danny Allen tied for fourth (225) with Jerry Coren at Innisbrook.
Allen, a Tarpons Springs High graduate, was a 2000 Times All-Suncoast first-team member with Cosper.
Allen is set to play in this week's Southern Amateur in Homestead, Va.
U.S. WOMEN'S AMATEUR: Clearwater's Jenny Gleason qualified for the 103rd annual event, scheduled for Aug. 4-10 at Philadelphia Country Club.
She fired a 1-under 71 in Greensboro, N.C., to lead seven qualifiers from a field of 53 contestants.
COUNTY GOLF ASSOCIATION: Neil Vanleeuwen of Tarpon Springs crafted a 2-under 69 to win a weekly match at Fox Hollow.
He finished four strokes ahead of Clearwater's Frank Saxon. Brian Crane topped the net division with a 62 based on his handicap of 19. St. Petersburg's Les Robison (66) and Dave Biglow (67) followed.
Laurie Hiltz of Clearwater won the women's net with a 74.
In an earlier CGA match at Tampa Palms, Pinellas golfers tied for first.
Oldsmar's Vic Morelli and Clearwater's Wayne Mateer shot 1-under 71 gross.
At Seminole Lake, New Port Richey's Dalan Farren posted a 1-under 71 to win by five strokes over runner-up Steve Marcus.
Dennis Sweeney of Largo took net honors (66), followed by Pat Smith (69) and St. Petersburg's Dave Nagy, who tied.
The senior-division winners were Clearwater's Mike Wiegand, 74, gross; and Treasure Island's Fred Kummer, 67, net.
JUNIORS: Palm Harbor's Jason Elliott tied for fifth in the Florida Juniors Invitational at Howey-in-the-Hills with a 74-70-75-219.
He finished six shots behind winner Kevin Lim of Eustis.
Palm Harbor's John Stevens won a rain-shortened Junior British Tour event by two strokes over Justin Meir at Crescent Oaks in the boys 15-18 division.
Karsten Farrell of Palm Harbor took the 12-14 title with a par 72, and Linzy Clark (73) of Tarpon Springs prevailed among boys 9-11.
HONORS: Past winners of Golfweek's Father of the Year Award include Jack Nicklaus, Earl Woods and Robert Trent Jones.
The magazine recently selected Brian Code, the seven-year president of the Greater Tampa Junior Golf Association, for the award.
Code also is co-chairman of the AJGA's Avila Junior Classic, which was played last month in Tampa.
The three Code children are high-profile golfers.
Jordan was captain of the Florida Gators team last season. His sister, Whitney, has been a key member of the UF women's squad the past two years and received NCAA Academic All-America recognition this season.
Their sister, Mallory, 18, has won four AJGA tournaments despite problems with diabetes and cystic fibrosis. She plans to follow her siblings to Gainesville this fall.
PRO RANKS: Largo native Michele Vinieratos, 34, who played for Pinellas Park High and the Gators, not only qualified for the recent Women's U.S. Open, she made the cut with an opening 75-74.
Vinieratos fell in the final standings with closing rounds of 76-82.
At Crescent Oaks, LPGA Tour veteran Jeannette Kohlhass fired an opening 3-under 69 to win a rain-shortened Next Generation Women's Tour event.
Amateur Christina Monacelli of Ocean Ridge finished second, and Andrea Sarrett was third.
