Ming’s gamble pays off in Lilac Invitational

For all of the heat it takes for being perceived as one of the weakest par-5s in the region, the 12th hole at The Fairways at West Terrace golf course always seems to muscle its way into the spotlight come Lilac Invitational time.

And it did it again on Sunday as tournament leader Chris Ming took a big risk and then reaped a $5,000 reward by riding the momentum of an eagle-3 at the oft-maligned, 552-yard 12th to victory in the 45th annual edition of the region’s only 72-hole tournament.

“That really got me going,” Ming said of the timely eagle that pushed him two shots clear of the field and provided a much-needed momentum fix following his three-putt par on the short, 327-yard 11th.

Ming, a regular on the Gateway Tour in Arizona and an off-season resident of Tacoma, arrived at the No. 12 tee box tied for the tournament lead with playing partner Conner Robbins. Because of the aggression he was harboring after driving the green on the par-4 11th and failing to make birdie, Ming decided to hit driver and take an aggressive line over the small lake that defines the risk-reward 12th.

His wind-aided drive carried the water and rolled into the fairway less than 155 yards from the pin. Ming then made the most of his big gamble by sticking a 9-iron approach to within 3 feet of the hole and draining his eagle putt. He went on to post a stirring final-round total of 9-under-par 63.

“Early in the week, I told myself I wouldn’t hit driver on No. 12,” admitted the 31-year-old Ming. “But after what happened on 11, I decided to take a more aggressive approach, because I had some adrenaline going.”

And when Robbins, who had started the final round tied for the lead, missed his 3 1/2 -foot putt for birdie on the same hole, it seemed that all Ming had to do was keep from making any major mistakes.

But rather than play it cautious, Ming kept firing directly at every flag and birdied three of the last six holes – including the difficult 413-yard 18th – to match the low round of the tournament and treat himself to a surprisingly easy win.

Ming’s 72-hole total of 24-under-par 264 was three strokes better than the 267 posted by runners-up Troy Kelly and Brandon Smith, a former standout out Central Valley High School. Robbins finished another shot back at 269, followed by Ryan Earl at 271 and former Coeur d’Alene resident John Cook at 272.

Kelly, who played collegiately at the University of Washington, shot his second-consecutive 63, despite making a three-putt bogey on the first hole. And Smith, playing in the final foursome with Ming, Robbins and Cook, torched The Fairways’ 6,459-yard layout with a closing-round 64.

Kelly, who was playing in his first tournament of the year after working construction all summer, made eight birdies and an eagle-3 at the par-5 fifth hole. But his big weekend finish wasn’t enough to overcome his 70-71 start.

“I hit it good all four days,” said Kelly, who spent a couple of non-productive years on the Gateway Tour before returning to Seattle to find a steady job, “but I just didn’t make anything.

“I hit a lot of good putts and was burning the edges a lot, but nothing went in. Then the last two days, I starting making some putts, which made it a lot more fun out there.”

Smith, who spent four seasons playing for the University of Arizona after graduating from CV in 1998, started the final round two strokes behind Ming and Robbins and one stroke behind Cook. He played brilliantly and eventually overtook Robbins, who shot a final-round 68.

But he could never reel in Ming, his roommate on the Gateway Tour, who stayed with him again at his parents’ home in Spokane this week.

“I figured the least he could do was let me win, just for the room and board,” joked the 24-year-old Smith, who won the 1995 Washington State Junior Boys’ championship and the 2000 Washington State Men’s Amateur. “

“I knew at the turn I needed at least one eagle on 11, 12 or 14, but I didn’t get it. And after Chris made eagle on 12, it was pretty much over and I was just trying to keep up.”

Cook, who started Sunday’s final round just one stroke off the lead, took himself out the mix with a disappointing double-bogey 5 on the treacherous 172-yard 13th that normally plays into the prevailing wind to a peninsula green.

Cook flushed a 6-iron off the tee, just as the wind quit, and watched in amazement as his ball flew over the green and into the reeds on the edge of the water. He hacked it out, lobbed his third shot 8 feet past the pin and two-putted.

“I knew I needed to make something happen, so I went right at the pin,” Cook explained. “I hit it great, but the wind just quit right then and it sailed on me. That kind of took the steam out of me.”

Robbins managed to hang with Ming until No. 12, where he drove his ball inside of Ming’s but fatted his approach shot short of the green and made par after failing to get up and down.

Smith and Kelly each earned $2,650 for their second-place finishes, while Robbins picked up $1,475 for fourth.

Tom Story, from Las Vegas, won this third-consecutive title in the Senior Pro Division with a 72-hole total of 6-under-par 282, and Cheney’s Peter Sisich finished as low amateur for the second straight year following a final-round 68 that left him tied for 12th overall.