By
Tom Johnston, tjohnston@qconline.com
It was a good day for Chris Wilkins and Greg Rios on the golf course Sunday in the National City Bank Amateur Tour's Tour Championship at Milan's Pinnacle Country Club.
Wilkins, despite limping home with a 5-over 77, found his way back into the winner's circle exactly four years after his last victory -- the 2000 Tour Championship. Rios logged one of his biggest accomplishments in the sport, wrapping up the NCB Am Tour's Player of the Year honor thanks in part to the day's best score of 1-under 71.
Steve Schwabe and Brian Soucinek have had better days with the sticks as they both watched their chances to top Rios in the season points race fade with rounds of 77 in the final stroke-play event of the season that was sponsored by The Dispatch/The Rock Island Argus/The Leader.
``It feels good, especially to play as well as I did on the last day,'' said Rios, whose 71 was just a stroke shy of catching Wilkins for the weekend victory. ``With Chris shooting a 69 (Saturday), I didn't think I had a chance to win it. I just wanted to fire a decent score and see what happened.''
What happened was he shot past Schwabe to win the points race by what appeared to be a comfortable 155-point margin over Soucinek, the 2002 POY. But that quickly could have changed had Soucinek not finished five-over in the last four holes.
``I don't know if I should attach a card to the gift,'' said Soucinek of losing control of his own destiny via a triple bogey on 15 and bogeys on 16 and 18. ``I gave it away. That's not to say that Greg doesn't deserve to win, but I was even-par with four holes to go and had five birdie putts (inside 10-feet) that didn't fall. I had my opportunities.''
Rios was 1-under for the round heading into No. 9 where he chipped in for birdie on the short par-4. That was a nice buffer that he needed as he started the back nine with bogeys on 10 and 12 sandwiched around a birdie on No. 11. He parred in, giving him enough points in the season-long race to edge Schwabe, who came into the weekend with a 10-point lead.
``I'm embarrassed a little bit,'' Schwabe said of not playing well on his home course and carding rounds of 75-77. ``I just didn't hit it solid and didn't play well.''
Despite his own struggles, Schwabe still was urging on playing partner Wilkins to get back into the winner's circle.
``He kept telling me to stay aggressive,'' the 31-year-old Wilkins said of Schwabe's much-needed assistance. ``I couldn't take the steering wheel off my game as I tried to get it in. ... It's much harder winning than I remember; I know I sure don't have the moxie I used to have.''
``Chris deserves to win,'' said Schwabe, who won one of the 10 stroke-play tournaments this summer. ``He's had a tough four years; I'm glad he got back in the winner's circle.''
Wilkins' 146 total edged Rios (76-71--147) by a shot. Bettendorf High School junior Adam Seitz (75-73--148) was third, followed by Joe Irwin (76-73--149), Soucinek (73-77--150), Chad Coppinger (76-75--151), Chad Volquardsen (76-76--152) and Schwabe (75-77--152), Mike Long (78-76--154), and Tim Flaherty (80-75--155), Tom Miler (80-75--155) and Mark Drenth (78-77--155) in the top 10.
The final points standing in the player of the year race looked like this: Rios 1975; Soucinek 1820; Wilkins 1770; Schwabe 1767.5; Miler 1710; Seitz 1590; Coppinger 1505; Flaherty 1465; Long 1340; and Dean Cavanaugh 1190, who was not able to play this weekend.
-- Seniors: Dan Dalzeil won the seniors Tour championship with rounds of 75-74 for a 149 total. That also propelled him to the Seniors Player of the Year honors by 85 points over fellow Iowan Randy Trine.