Oregon State senior David Fink enjoyed a nice home-course advantage at the Amer Ari Invitational that ended Saturday at Waikoloa on the Big Island.

The 2009 ‘Iolani alumnus earned his second top-five finish there in as many years, shooting a career-low 6-under 66 to finish in fourth place at the three-day, 54-hole tournament.

Fink was three shots away from potentially winning his first collegiate tournament, and pointed toward the first three holes on Saturday as the difference.

"The first hole I missed an 8-footer, second hole from 12 feet and a 6-footer on the third," Fink said. "But that round is summed up with one word: patience. It’s something I’ve had to learn. Every day I get out there, there’s a different curveball thrown at you. That’s why golf is such a tough sport."

Fink’s entire collegiate career has been a lesson in patience, which hasn’t come easy.

He didn’t compete in a single collegiate event his freshman year in Corvallis, Ore., opting to redshirt.

The itch to get out on the course nagged at him throughout the season, but it was also a tough year of transition.

The son of John Fink, the general manager at KFVE, David grew up in a close-knit household in Kailua, and his first year away was harder than most.

"It was my first year away from my mom, my dad, away from home, not seeing my cousins, not having good food, there were a lot of things to take in and learn and honestly I just wasn’t ready yet," Fink said. "I can look back and really honestly say that the redshirt was a blessing for me. I needed that time to learn how to live on my own."

His first two seasons competing at Oregon State were met with modest results. A wrist injury hampered part of his sophomore season and his only top-10 finish came as a freshman at the Bandon Dunes Championship.

Frustrated at times with his performance, Fink felt the pressure to try to do better, quicker. It took a lesson he learned from family friend and PGA Tour veteran Parker McLachlin to help him get past that.

"We’re so close that we don’t really talk about advice, we mostly compete and talk crap about each other, but that mentality is the one thing I’ve picked up on without him really trying to help me," Fink said. "That attitude of being competitive, but not cocky, is how he is and that’s what it’s all about."

Finally healthy entering his junior season, Fink saw his game improve dramatically. He led the Beavers with a 71.47 scoring average, which is the fourth-best mark in school history. He made second team All-Pac-12 after five top-10 finishes in 11 tournaments, with 16 of his 34 rounds under par.

He’s carried that success over to this season. He has yet to finish outside of the top 25 of any of his six tournaments and has two top-five finishes, including a second place at the Alister Mackenzie Invitational last October.

"This year I have some long-term goals and by the end of the year I want to be at certain places, but right now, I want to be a great team captain and a great team player," Fink said. "It would be awesome to be an All-American and to be all-conference because there are such great names on those lists of players and it’d be an honor, but the ultimate goal is to make nationals as a team and to try to win a Pac-12 championship as a team."

The thrill of team competition is something Fink is cherishing in his final season. After this, the rest of his career will almost entirely fall upon his shoulders as an individual.

He will turn pro after the season ends and start pursuing his dream of making a living playing the game he’s loved since as far back as he can remember.

"It’s all about my family, my extended ohana and my friends on the mainland here that have helped me get to this point, because no one in this universe has done anything alon. They’ve always had someone to push them to get out of the bed every morning and get out there and practice." Fink said. "My goal, my dream has always been to be a pro golfer and I’ve been trying to get better every day to keep that dream alive and do it representing my family and representing the 808."