ALAMEDA, Calif. (April 21, 2008)--If Martin Trainer spent last season on the cusp of breaking through, he has cemented his spot as one of the top up-and-coming golfers in Northern California in 2008.

Trainer spent 2007 getting a feel for high-level game, qualifying for the U.S. Junior and Public Links, as well as the California State Amateur, but failed to make match play in each event. With the seed sewn in 2007, he was ready to reap the harvest in 2008, and got started in a big way with a victory in the San Francisco City Championship, where he defeated favorite Randy Haag 2-up to become, at 16, the youngest champion in tourney history.

"I was a little nervous, especially at the end, but I tried to keep it under control," said Trainer after that event. "I knew I was nervous, but I'm not sure if anyone else did, sometimes I play better under pressure."

Through June, Trainer has notched a 4th place finish at the Alameda Commuters and a runner-up finish at the amateurgolf.com Monterey Bay Championship.

Trainer says improved consistency, especially in the short game, has been the key to his hot start to the season. Currently a junior at Gunn High School in Palo Alto, he says he hopes to earn a spot on one of the four top California golf programs, USC, UCLA, Cal-Berkeley or Stanford.