Being in the 142-man field that features the best amateurs in North and South Carolina was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Wise choice.

Kohles beat Mt. Airy’s Kyle Wilson 3 and 2 in Sunday’s 18-hole championship match at Cape Fear Country Club to win the 94th annual championship.

“I just started swinging it really well,” Kohles said. “When I got to Wilmington and started practicing, I just played really well and was putting good. Everything just started working. I was making everything. This has been a great experience for me. This was it’ll be like next year all the time. It was really special.”

Kohles, who graduated from Green Hope High last month and will play at the University of Virginia next year, said his game came together in Wilmington after a lesson a few weeks ago. He shortened his swing and ran through a number of drills to improve his putting.

Soon after the lesson, he played in the North & South Amateur in Pinehurst. The swing changes hadn’t come around yet, and he posted scores of 80 and 72 to finish 11-over par. He missed the cut by six strokes, a shaky putter the primary culprit.

But in Wilmington, it became clear early on that he was going to be a contender. He fired a five-under 67 in the first round of stroke play and was one stroke off the lead. The round was highlighted by two chip-ins, one for eagle on the par 5 No. 3, the other for birdie on the par 4 No. 18.

He followed that up with a one-over 73 in the second round on Thursday to finish tied for sixth and earn one of 32 spots in the match play portion of the tournament.

In the first round Friday, he defeated Charlotte’s John Ebert 2 and 1. Over the 17 holes played, Kohles was six-under par after making seven birdies and one bogey.

“For me to shoot six-under, that was big confidence booster,” Kohles said.

In the second round on Saturday, Kohles faced a familiar face, Michael Marshburn, a teammate at Green Hope. Kohles prevailed 4 and 2.

“It was kind of funny,” Kohles said. “I wish I could’ve played him in the final. That would have been more fun. We were tense. He gave me a good run. He’s a great player and he was hitting great shots, he just wasn’t making many putts.”

In the afternoon quarterfinal, Kohles continued his strong play by defeating Josh Gallman of Gaffney, S.C., 2 and 1. Gallman was the runner-up in qualifying, shooting a combined nine-under to finish one stroke off the lead. With a spot in the semifinals awaiting him Sunday morning, Kohles could barely sit still Saturday night.

“Me and my dad stayed in the hotel,” Kohles said. “He was pretty shocked I’d gotten that far. We were both excited. I couldn’t wait. I just wanted to go out and play. I didn’t want to take the night off.”

In his semifinal, Kohles dispatched Greensboro’s Scott Harvey 4 and 3 to make it to the championship match. Because of inclement weather earlier in the week, the final was shortened from 36 holes to 18 to accommodate a Sunday finish.

Wilson took a 2-up lead early, but Kohles remained confident because he had birdie putts on four, six and eight that all burned the edge of the cup. After evening the match at the turn, Kohles made birdie on No. 10 to go 1-up. He went 2-up on No. 12 after Wilson three-putted, and he went to 3-up on 14. He secured the win on the par 3 16th when he and Wilson both made par.

“It was a great feeling,” Kohles said. “I wasn’t shocked. I’d been playing good all week. But I was so happy. This is one of the biggest tournaments I’ve played in so far. It was really fun the whole way.”

Kohles is hoping the game he played in Wilmington will follow him to Orlando this week, where he will play in the HP Boys Junior Championship, an American Junior Golf Association event, at Bay Hill.

“Hopefully I can play good,” Kohles said. “I’ve been lighting it up.”