GIBSONIA - It's been quite a week for Mike Toubakaris.

Last Saturday, he proposed to his girlfriend, Courtney, in New York City, then won $2,000 playing the slots in Atlantic City.

Sunday, he played nearly flawless golf at Pheasant Ridge Golf Club, firing a two-under-par 70 to win the championship flight at the Butler Eagle Amateur Open.

"Yeah," Toubakaris said, "it's been an exciting eight days."

Toubakaris, of Butler, had a good feeling about his round despite playing poorly in a tune-up Friday when he returned from his week away from home.

"I played like crap," Toubakaris said. "My dad is going to be happy because he said being away and partying was going to kill me. He was right. It did. But it turned out OK."

Toubakaris' score would have been lower if not for blowing a couple of short putts early in his round.

"I missed two two-foot putts," he said. "When you do that, it makes your stomach turn. They might have been shorter than two feet. My mom could have made those putts."

But Toubakaris made enough of them when it counted to win his first amateur tournament.

He played in the Butler Eagle Amateur Open last year, but finished back of the leaders.

Toubakaris played in a U.S. Amateur qualifier event earlier this year in Erie with not-so-good results.

"I choked," he said.

There was no choking Sunday. He played consistently, firing a 35 on the front nine and an impressive 35 on the longer and more treacherous back nine.

"I knew coming in it was going to be a strong field," Toubakaris said. "You never know what is going to happen. I was thinking I would have at least forced a playoff. I really didn't want to go back out there again, though."

Toubakaris, 28, didn't start playing golf until his college days at Clemson. In just a short time, he was faring well on the fairways and greens.

"I am self-taught," he said. "I've never had lessons. I just went out and taught myself.

"My buddies got me into it and I guess I was a natural. Every year I get better and better."

Toubakaris got his bachelors and masters degree from Clemson and was a golf course supervisor at a course in Atlanta before returning to Butler.He felt he should have won the Open last year. But …"I choked," he said.Toubakaris didn't have the luxury of coughing up shots. Two golfers were right on his heals.Pheasant Ridge Golf Club owner Eric Knapp was second with a one-under, 71, tied with Dave Hungerman.Both Knapp and Hungerman were in the morning group and were preparing for a sudden-death playoff - which would have been the first in the history of the Open - before Toubakaris came in with his winning scorecard in the afternoon group.For Knapp, not having to play a playoff was a blessing - he didn't want to miss a Huey Lewis concert at Station Square in Pittsburgh.Knapp had played just one round of golf this year before the Open and was a late entry, deciding to play after two nine-hole outings during the week."It's one thing to pick up a club, gripping it and swinging it and expecting nothing," Knapp said. "When you play in a competition, those butterflies come back and it's hard to control your adrenaline."Golf is a marathon," Knapp added. "Playing four or five holes is a sprint. I didn't know how I would hold up."Knapp was still cutting grass around the 12th green when the siren sounded to begin the morning portion of the Open.He had to leave his tractor sitting out of the way near the green and run to the tee box to begin his round."I hit two pretty bad shots to start and then chipped in for birdie," Knapp said. "The best way to start a tournament is to go up and down for par. I played very inconsistently today."Art Biernesser of Saxonburg won the first-flight in his first Open with a two-over-par 74.Not bad for a guy who has played the course only a handful of times."I just stroked the ball right down the middle," he said. "All I made was pars. Nothing spectacular. Just solid golf."Jack Jones and Tom Fennel tied for the win in the second flight and Don Fox won both the third flight and the seniors competitions.