When Todd Strible moved from Southern California to Central Oregon, he didn’t necessarily expect to beat the majority of the field in one of Oregon’s biggest amateur tournaments.

But the 48-year-old Strible, who moved from the San Diego area to Bend in March, shot 70-68—138 over the weekend at Medford’s Centennial Golf Club to finish at 7 under par and in second place at the Oregon Mid-Amateur.

Strible was the only golfer in the 96-player field to seriously challenge Jeff Nielson of Gresham, who won at 9 under after shooting a first-round 67.

The result was a surprise for Strible, who said this week he had not been playing particularly well before the weekend tournament.

“Totally unexpected,” Strible said. “It was weird. I don’t have a home course yet, so I’ve done very little practicing. I’ve been playing once a week on the (Central Oregon-based) Maverix Tour and that’s about it.”

Strible shot a 2-under 70 in the first round Saturday despite hitting just seven greens in regulation, and he started Sunday three shots from the lead and in a tie for third place.

At the suggestion of longtime friend and fellow Bend resident Chris Hall, Strible adjusted his stance before Sunday’s round to move closer to the ball. The result: birdies on four of the first five holes.

“It was like, ‘Oh, OK, what now?’” said Strible about his fast start. “It was fun.”

Strible eventually grabbed the 27-hole lead and took a two-stroke advantage into the clubhouse before Neilson birdied No. 17 and eagled the par-5 18th hole to win.

“(Centennial) was pretty long, but at the same time it had generous fairways and really big greens,” Strible said. “It was the kind of course that if you were hitting the ball halfway decent you could score.”

Strible’s success should not be a complete surprise.

He has spent his entire adult life working in golf, including the last 14 years as an equipment representative for Carlsbad, Calif.-based club maker Callaway Golf.

During that time he also played in various California amateur tournaments.

Strible said he moved to Bend with his “wife and two dogs,” to be closer to Hall, his best friend, and to get away from the hustle and bustle of Southern California.

Strible plans to play in more Oregon Golf Association events, and in August he will attempt to qualify for the U.S. Amateur at a local qualifier at Redmond’s Juniper Golf Club.

“I play (in amateur events) for the fun of it,” Strible says. “I enjoy it.”