Yarik Merkulov won his first RDGA title, holding off a run from defending champion Chris Blyth.

The Penfield native finished at six-under par, with Blyth shooting 68 in the final round to wind up at two-under par.

Merkulov went to Duke and then tried pro golf. Earlier this year, he regained his amateur status and things have taken off.

"It's a lot easier to hit a six-footer when you don't have McDonald's vs Outback Steakhouse on the line," Merkulov said, who won a U.S. Open qualifier at Deerfield this year and will try to qualify for the U.S. Mid-Amateur in a couple of weeks.

He, who hit his first drive out of bounds to start the day, continued, "Chris and Brandon (Grzywacz), 68-69 for those guys, so it wasn't gonna be an easy day for me. I knew that the most important part of that was more how I reacted to it than the actual swing."

For the final scores, go to the RDGA Leaderboard.