Ryan Miranda takes Glendale City Golf Championship

GLENDALE — Ryan Miranda hadn’t forgotten the experience of his runner-up finish last year at the Glendale City Golf Championship.

It left him hungry to come back to take another crack at capturing the event for the first time. Miranda learned his lesson from the stinging defeat and, backed by a superb short game, accomplished the task.

Miranda fired an even-par 72 to win the fourth rendition of the tournament’s championship flight by three strokes over Fidel Rodriguez on Monday afternoon at Oakmont Country Club.

PHOTOS: Miranda wins Glendale City Golf Championship

Miranda, a St. Francis High graduate and former member of the Glendale Community College men’s golf team, finished with a two-round even-par score of 132. He opened with a qualifying score of even-par 60 on Thursday at Scholl Canyon Golf Course. Miranda came into Monday’s round two strokes off the lead behind Win Kyaw and Willy Moffly and one behind Rodriguez and Nicholas Diaz before gaining traction at Oakmont. He finished with three birdies and 13 pars.

“Last year, I was definitely near tears,” said Miranda, who saw fellow St. Francis alum Vince De Pinto win by one stroke in 2014. “I was trying to force a playoff and I lipped a shot on the last hole.

“It’s great to win an event like this. I had my putter working all the way through. I had a little bit of a hard time on the front nine, so I had to come back and grind out the last nine holes. I wanted to go even on the back nine and I was able to. I felt like I won it on the 17th with a 20-foot down hill birdie.”

Miranda became the fourth player to win the event, joining Jon Levitt (2012), Chris Russo (2013) and De Pinto.

Rodriguez, a former player at Cypress College, came into the 17th hole and registered a triple-bogey before parring the 18th hole.

“I just had trouble on 17 and I had been playing so well,” said Rodriguez, who was in the field’s last group. “It was a struggle.

“I thought the course [was] real good. The fairways were good and the greens were rolling.”

Tavit Garabedian, who also played at Glendale college, took third after carding a 78 for a two-round score of 138. Kyaw, another former Glendale college athlete, and Moffly each shot 81s to tie for fourth at 139 with Glendale’s Kris Hons (76 on Monday). Diaz had a 91 to finish with a two-round total of 150.

Justin Mooney, an Oakmont member, won the tournament’s Deukmejian flight for the first time. Mooney finished with a net score of 70 to edge Rick Harris by one stroke. Mooney collected a two-round tally of 133.

“It’s one of those days where everything just seemed to work for me,” Mooney said. “Knowing the course helped, but you still have to be able to go out there and make the shots.”

Glendale resident Jerry Piro took the Verdugo flight. Piro notched a net score of 74 on Monday to win by two stokes over Miguel Diaz. Piro, Diaz and William Erickson came in tied for the lead after shooting 57s on Thursday. Erickson withdrew before play Monday.

In the Brand flight, Steven Garcia toppled Jason Camago in a one-hole playoff. Garcia, a Glendale college employee, won the playoff with a birdie on the 18th hole while Camago had a par. The duo came into the playoff after shooting two-round 133s.

All proceeds benefited the Glendale Parks and Open Space Foundation, a non-profit organization.