By his own admission, life as a professional golfer is not something for Nathan Smith.

Life as a champion, suits Smith fine -- a title fitting him about as well as the custom-tailored tartan-plaid jacket he wore yesterday in the winner's circle at the Pittsburgh Field Club.

Smith maintains amateur status, but, for the second time in the past five years, he was good enough to win the most prestigious and lucrative professional tournament in local golf.

Smith, a Brookville native who now lives in the North Hills, shot a 72 yesterday to claim the Frank B. Fuhrer Invitational with a two-over 282.

"The rest of us knew we had to play really well to beat Nathan," co-runner-up Ryan Sikora said. "He's the best around here."

Smith, a financial advisor, beat a field primarily comprised of club professionals vying for a piece of a $125,000 purse that is among the highest nationally for a tournament of its kind.

As an amateur, he forfeited the $25,000 top prize -- instead settling for the $750 in pro-shop credit awarded the low-scoring amateur -- which inevitably faces him addressing the predictable query: Why not become a pro?

"It's not a question I want to answer in front of my wife," he joked. "I may get home and the locks will be changed."

In all seriousness, the reigning three-time defending West Penn Amateur champion said amateur golf is "a good fit for me."

"Obviously, I guess it hurts when you see the check, but this is really the only tournament as an amateur I could get in, to play for this much money. It's an honor to be a part of it."

Smith never posted the best score in any of the four rounds, but he and Sikora were the only players who did not shoot a round worse than 72 on a course that played so difficult that only Sean Knapp (69) was not over par yesterday. That was one of only four sub-par rounds all week.

The greens were described as "like glass" and slicker than the average PGA Tour stop.

"It was extremely difficult," Sikora said. "Brutal, but fair ... if you had a downhill putt, and your hands were shaking."

Smith appeared to be running away from the field yesterday, holding a five-shot lead before a four-putt on No. 15 and a three-putt on 18 took some of the luster off his final score.

The drama shifted to second place -- a distinction that became much more significant with $25,000 on the line.

Sikora, a pro at Pittsburgh National, held a two-shot lead heading into the par-3 18th but bogeyed it. That opened the door for John Aber to tie him with a birdie -- and he nearly did one better than that.

Aber's tee shot from 168 yards landed short but rolled directly at the hole as the largest gallery of the week held its breath. The ball approached the cup at the perfect speed -- and lipped out left.

"The pressure was off. I knew I needed to make a 2, so it was easier to fire right at the flag," said Aber, the Allegheny Country Club professional. "I hit it nice and solid, and it looked good in the air. It was fun, very exciting."

The tap-in that followed meant he and Sikora split first- and second-place money down the middle, pocketing $18,000 each from what Sikora called "our biggest event of the year.

"The most prestigious. It's like our Masters."

Along those lines, Fuhrer, the tournament's patriarch, introduced a new tradition when he presented each of the past champions (since it became a 72-hole event) with a tartan-plaid jacket that had the tournament's logo stitched on its breast.

"I do a lot of nice little perks for the guys, and I think they appreciate it," Fuhrer said.