The second time was the charm for Wade Walters at last weekend’s Smokey Bear golf invitational at the Falls Country Club.

Walters, 28, who noted he is originally from St. Paul and now spends the winter months working at a golf course in Arizona, won the 45-hole championship by a stroke, edging out another competitor who also has been spending much of his time in Arizona, Mike Cocanour.

“I came up here because my aunt and uncle have a cabin here, and came up here to do some fishing and golfing,” Walters said.

The 57th annual tournament was the second time ever for Walters to play in the men’s amateur invitational that attracts more than 100 golfers from the United States and Canada.

He didn’t even make the final field of 24 to be able to compete for the title last year when he had to settle for first place in the first flight of golfers only completing 36 holes over two days.

His cousin, Brandon Hartzell, of White Bear Lake, won the 2008 Smokey Bear Invitational and placed runner-up last year. Hartzell has since become a professional golfer and is no longer eligible to compete in the amateur tournament.

Walters finished Saturday’s 18 holes with a 72, two strokes behind Cocanour and three-time tournament champion Eric Walls of International Falls.

He then shot a 70 during the first 18 holes on Sunday to take the lead by a stroke over Cocanour, who carded a 73, and three others, Dan Bidle, Dave Christensen and Terry O’Laughlin, prior to the final nine holes to decide the championship. Walls had a 74 to fall two strokes behind.

To close out the final hole on top, Walters drove the par four No. 9 green en route to a birdie. Cocanour ended up with a par.

“The best chance for me to make a three or a four (on the hole) was to hit a driver,” Walters said. “It’s a 310-yard hole. It sets up for a gentle cut, and I pulled off the shot.

“I just hit the same shot on the eighth hole, a soft fade left to right, and the ninth hole sets up perfectly for that same shot. I felt good about pulling the trigger, as opposed to my playing partners who laid up into the fairway — hit (an) iron off the tee, and then wedge it onto the green.

“I said to my caddie... ‘I want to hit the green,’ and I pulled it off, so that definitely won me the tournament, I think, two putts later.”

Walters, who finished up with a 176 for the low tournament total, and Cocanour, who ended up with 177, both carded a 34 for the final nine holes. Bidle and Christensen both had 45-hole scores of 178 to finish two strokes behind the leader. Walls and O’Laughlin finished in the top six at 179.

“It’s as close a finish as I can remember,” said tournament director Dave Cronin, who is in his 18th year heading up the two-day tournament.

In addition to the $150 medalist prize, Cronin said first place in the championship flight netted Walters a gift certificate worth $265 at the Falls Country Club.

When including all the gift certificates awarded to the top six finishers in the championship and president’s flights, the top four finishers in the next 12 flights of golfers and the top three golfers in the director’s flight, Cronin noted the 2011 Smokey Bear Invitational awarded $7,620 worth of prizes.

Last year’s champion, Matt Schneider, a Grand Rapids native who golfed for four years at Bowling Green State University, made the 12-player championship flight this year, but was unable to finish in the top six to receive a prize.

Players under the age of 18 were once again allowed to play in the tournament this year as four of the top golfers on Falls’ boys golf team from this spring qualified for either the championship or president’s flight. Glenn Walls, who tied for 11th individually in the 2011 Class AA state tournament, won the president’s flight with a 45-hole total of 191.

The 18-hole Ross Memorial took place at the Falls Country Club on the Friday before the Smokey Bear Invitational as a fund-raiser for Hospice.

2011 Smokey Bear Invitational FINAL RESULTS:

• Top six in top two flights, top four in flights 1-12 and top three in director’s flight.

CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT

1. Wade Walters 72-70-34—176

2. Mike Cocanour 70-73-34—177

3. Dan Bidle 71-72-35—178

4. D. Christensen 72-71-35—178

5. Eric Walls 70-74-35—179

6. T. O’Laughlin 71-72-36—179

PRESIDENT’S FLIGHT

1. Glenn Walls 76-77-38—191

2. Rob Badiuk 76-78-38—192

3. Jeff Shermoen 75-79-40—194

4. Bob Mason 74-80-40—194

5. Tony Zika 75-76-43—194

6. Ben Ziemann 72-80-43—195

FIRST FLIGHT

1. Buzzy Christensen 79-74—153

2. Jeff Lindvall 79-76—155

3. Robin Anderson 79-77—156

4. Derek Fisher 79-79—158

SECOND FLIGHT

1. Jeff Porter 81-80—161

2. Konrad Sobkowicz 81-83—164

3. Ian McLennan 81-83—164

4. Poncho Krantz 81-85—166

THIRD FLIGHT

1. Charlie Ross 82-74—156

2. Joel Otto 83-75—158

3. Matt Guerton 82-80—162

4. Jered Chartier 82-82—164

FOURTH FLIGHT

1. Brock Laubhan 84-74—158

2. Andy Shermoen 83-82—165

3. Steve Chown 83-83—166

4. Charlie Dalton 83-84—167

FIFTH FLIGHT

1. Justin Mayer 85-81—166

2. Drew Fisher 86-82—168

3. Pat Auran 85-85—170

4. Kirby Shofner 84-86—170

SIXTH FLIGHT

1. Jake Youso 86-78—164

2. Shawn Mitchell 87-80—167

3. Kevin Graham 87-82—169

4. Tim Blais 87-85—172

SEVENTH FLIGHT

1. Tom Anderson 88-84—172

2. Ladd Corrin 88-84—172

3. Derek Johnson 88-84—172

4. Tom Sutch 88-87—175

EIGHTH FLIGHT

1. Allen Youso 90-79—169

2. Steve Johnson 90-86—176

3. Kyle Olestad 90-86—176

4. Tim Anderson 90-87—177

NINTH FLIGHT

1. Mike Canfield 92-83—175

2. Todd Bourguin 92-87—179

3. Jerry Karsnia 91-90—181

4. Joe Fox 91-90—181

TENTH FLIGHT

1. Jerry Fredrickson 93-84—177

2. Josh Koenig 93-85—178

3. Jim Mason 93-86—179

4. Josh Hardy 93-88—181

ELEVENTH FLIGHT

1. Brian McBride 96-87—183

2. Terry Burns 94-90—184

3. Doug Dault 94-91—185

4. Doug Moss 95-92—187

TWELFTH FLIGHT

1. Tom Mayer 97-86—183

2. Pete Auran 98-88—186

3. Tom Turry 99-90—189

4. Chad Shikowsky 100-94—194

DIRECTOR’S FLIGHT

1. Gary Beck 103-87—190

2. John Gookins 103-92—195

3. Jeff Boyum 101-97—198