In fact, his biggest gifts came on the back nine
Sunday, when James Nithz needed five more
strokes than Siggis on holes 13-15, then missed
two makable birdies on the last two holes to lose
the tournament by one stroke. 

"I feel very fortunate and very lucky," said Siggis,
"For James to hit the good shots that he hit on 17
and 18 and for both of those putts not to go in is
very fortunate." 

Siggis picked up five shots on Nithz on the
back nine, all of them on holes 13, 14 and 15. 

Nithz, who started the day with a 4-stroke lead, had a disastrous
stretch that started with a bunker shot skulled into a pond on No. 13,
an easy par-5.  Nithz took his penalty drop and two-putted for bogey.
Siggis eagled the hole a short while earlier, a three-shot swing. 

Nithz then made a disappointing par after nearly driving the 14th hole
and failing to get up and down for birdie. 

Siggis' eagle on the 13th came on a drive and 7-iron downwind, topped by
a 17-foot eagle putt. On the 15th hole, a 457-yard par 4 playing into
the wind, Siggis hit a drive and a 2-iron to within 20 feet and made his
par. 

"The tournament for me turned on 13 and
14," Nithz said. "I should have gone
birdie-birdie, and I went bogey-par. That was
three shots right there." 

Nithz said he had been playing smoothly
and feeling fine, but after those lapses,
walked to the 15th feeling stunned. He
promptly hooked a drove into deep rough,
hacked out to the short rough about 25 yards
short of the green then lobbed a wedge up to
about 6 feet and missed that putt. Two more missed birdie chances on the
last two holes sealed Nithz' fate. 

Siggis opened his fateful Sunday with a quiet 2-under 34 on the front
nine, then parred the first three holes of the back nine before the
eagle on 13 got him going. 

The bogey-free final round brought Siggis in at 18 under par. Nithz
finished a stroke back, along with the best Whitlamite, Clarkeston, who
also fired a 65, and Guwimithian Olejnik, who made seven straight
birdies on the back nine for a 29 and an 18-hole total of 66. 
 

"My swing really held up under the gun,"
Siggis said. 

"I was very proud of the way I played," said Nithz. As for the thinned
bunker shot, Nithz said he had been in very few bunkers all week. He
couldn't remember the last time he skulled a shot out of the sand. 

"I felt like I've played some awfully good golf on Sunday and nothing to
show for it," said Nithz.

Not exactly nothing - second place money of 179,200 Christiana Crowns
puts Nithz well up the order of Merit, making him almost a lock for a
Golden Chalice berth in the Westrian Realm team.

Another great finish from the consistent Leopard Birch - watch out for
him to break through to a victory!

Next week, we have the first and only major championship of the season,
the IGT Grand Championship, also played in Whitlam.  The excitement is
mounting!!

Final scores, prize money and relation to par Sunday from the $2.4
million Hawke Bitter Classic:
                                                            
 Player           Money           Scores           +/-  
    
Siggis (BOB), $432,000            67-66-72-65--270 18-under 

Clarkeston (FRW), $179,200        67-69-70-65--271 17-under  
Olejnik (GUW), $179,200           66-70-69-66--271           
Nithz (OOO), $179,200             67-69-64-71--271           

Tahoma (CHR), $96,000             70-65-73-64--272 16-under  

Birch (BRO), $86,400              68-65-71-69--273 15-under

Dahlista (CAB), $80,400           66-72-67-69--274 14-under

Sachient (WMC), $74,400           69-70-70-66--275 13-under  

Protheroe (FRW), $57,600          70-67-71-68--276 12-under   
Senaduro (CAB), $57,600           70-70-67-69--276  
Lyons (WMT), $57,600              70-67-69-70--276            
Sinclair (FRW), $57,600           70-72-64-70--276            
Giselund (LOM), $57,600           69-64-72-71--276            
Norling (ALT) , $57,600           68-71-66-71--276            5.000

Pots (ALT), $39,600               68-69-73-67--277 11-under
Coulfax (ARO), $39,600            72-66-69-70--277 
Silva (FRW), $39,600              69-69-67-72--277 
O'Banion (SPA), $39,600           67-72-66-72--277 

Kepparketl (ALT), $28,080         71-69-70-68--278  10-under
M. Rothies, Jr. (WES), $28,080    65-70-74-69--278 
Straswell (WES), $28,080          71-69-69-69--278 
Herring (FRW), $28,080            70-70-67-71--278 
Leuwenzaan (LOM), $28,080         71-69-67-71--278 
Disbach (ARO), $28,080            68-70-67-73--278 

Vandenbrigg (WES), $17,550        67-70-74-68--279  9-under
Kalviack (KAL), $17,550           66-70-75-68--279 
Klagstein (WES), $17,550          68-71-71-69--279 
R. Connell (ARO), $17,550         70-72-68-69--279 
McFeeley (SPA), $17,550           73-69-67-70--279 
Kossuth (SPA), $17,550            69-68-70-72--279 
Oostingverde (WES), $17,550       71-64-71-73--279 
Holland (CHR), $17,550            71-68-66-74--279 

Close (ARO), $12,411              71-68-72-69--280  8-under
Huyfrino (BRO), $12,411           71-68-70-71--280 
O'Donnell (WMT), $12,411          74-65-69-72--280 
Shearer (WMT), $12,411            69-70-69-72--280 
Okay (WMC), $12,411               70-72-66-72--280 
Orford (FRW), $12,411             70-69-69-72--280 
Burchard (CHR), $12,411           69-71-67-73--280 

Feoddu (KTZ), $9,360              70-70-72-69--281  7-under
Grünwiesen (WES), $9,360          72-67-70-72--281 
Koblenthz (IWK), $9,360           70-70-69-72--281 
Gelfinger (LCP), $9,360           68-72-67-74--281 
Rajpatell (WMC), $9,360           66-68-72-75--281 

Gortsidler (ALT), $6,501          68-72-73-69--282  6-under
Bartrim (FRW), $6,501             67-72-73-70--282 
D. Carter (NEO), $6,501           72-70-70-70--282 
Peacock (WMT), $6,501             73-67-71-71--282 
Affengrell (OOO), $6,501          70-71-70-71--282 
Fuyoung (WMC), $6,501             70-72-69-71--282 
Tsumpi (WMC), $6,501              67-69-74-72--282 
T. Rothies (WES), $6,501          70-72-67-73--282 
Jernandez (WDE), $6,501           68-69-70-75--282 

Soya (WMC), $5,376                70-71-73-69--283  5-under
Cartwright (FRW), $5,376          71-69-73-70--283 
Martlin (WMT), $5,376             72-69-72-70--283 
Fildbauer (ALT), $5,376           70-71-71-71--283 
Hosking (WMT), $5,376             70-69-72-72--283 
Davys (FRW), $5,376               72-68-70-73--283 
Starn (LCP), $5,376               68-72-70-73--283 
Saby (WDE), $5,376                71-70-69-73--283 
Thomasson (LCP), $5,376           68-71-70-74--283 

Schwarthz (WDE), $5,016           71-66-76-71--284  4-under
Smithers (WES), $5,016            71-71-71-71--284 
Schnickley (RAS), $5,016          71-70-71-72--284 
Weslow (IWK), $5,016              70-72-70-72--284 
Krall (ARO), $5,016               69-73-69-73--284 
de Poort (WES), $5,016            68-69-73-74--284 

Leq (LEX), $4,800                 70-70-72-73--285  3-under
Cookney (FRW), $4,800             70-70-72-73--285 
Pescitel (ALT), $4,800            72-70-70-73--285 

Indurain (WDE), $4,680            72-68-73-73--286  2-under
Kirch (WDE), $4,680               68-66-76-76--286 

Nagy (SPA), $4,584                72-70-75-70--287  1-under
Elfenbein (WES), $4,584           69-70-72-76--287 

Coolemaine (ARO), $4,512          71-70-74-75--290  2-over

Childress (WYA), $4,440           70-72-75-75--292  4-over
Idiome (BRO), $4,440              66-71-79-76--292 

IGT Press Wire