No one ever came farther to get a teal jacket than Sinclair: 

The final leg was an uphill climb to the 18th green Sunday at Aurelius National,
where Sinclair completed his journey around the Vex to claim the most prestigious
prize in golf. 

The Whitlam native won The Vexillium Masters, fighting off every challenge this
week -- an elite field, miserable weather, the stigma that he cannot putt and
Devil's Corner, the devastating three-hole stretch that starts at No. 11 --
closing with a 3-under 69 for a three-stroke victory over native favorite Matthias
Rothies Jr. 

Sinclair rolled in an 18-foot birdie putt on the last hole, kissed the ball as he
removed it from the cup and embraced his family. His 9-year-old son, Roddie, taped
a message to his bag that said, "Pappa, Trust Your Swing." 

He followed those directions better than anyone else. 

Sinclair ignored an early charge by San Patrician star Pancho McFeeley, and
watched Pietrich Kluffen, another Westrian favorite, self-destruct. 

He has now won his first major championship, which validates him as one of the
game's top players. 

In Sunday's final round, Sinclair played with such composure in the face of so
many challengers. And that might be enough to finally shift the attention to a
game that weathered a wicked weekend at Aurelius National. 

He finished at 278 and earned $828,000 Christiana Crowns for this win, which was
also his first on the International Golf Tour.

Rothies, although trying hard, couldn't get a birdie putt to fall on  the last
three holes and was at 281. 

The biggest threat came from Kluffen, in contention on the back nine. His dreams,
however, died with a risky shot that wound up in Roy's Creek for a bogey on the
par-5 13th. A bogey on the final hole gave Kluffen a 70, dropping him into a tie
for third with Valdemar Oostingverde. 

McFeeley, trying to pull off the greatest 36-hole comeback in IGT history after
opening with a disappointing 75, got within three of the lead but played even-par
on the back and finished fifth, six strokes back. 

"I was so focused on what I was doing," Sinclair said. "It meant a lot." 

And it showed when IGT Commissioner Matthias Rothies Sr., who had been rooting for
his son just moments before, helped him slip into the coveted teal jacket. 

"It feels great," a beaming Sinclair said. 

"I don't think anyone should be surprised that Sinclair won this golf tournament,"
Kluffen said. "He's a wonderful player." 

Sinclair set the tone for his victory Sunday morning. With frost melting into dew,
he returned to the course to complete his third round and made two critical par
putts that enabled him to maintain his three-stroke cushion over Kluffen. Sinclair
would never be out of the lead the remainder of the day. 

That paid dividends on the back nine Sunday, when Sinclair managed to escape
danger twice without losing his lead at Devil's Corner.

Clinging to a two-stroke lead over Kluffen, Sinclair hit his approach into the
pond left of the par-4 11th green. After taking his penalty drop, he hit a
delicate chip up to 4 feet for a bogey and lost only one shot. 

Then on the par-3 12th, he hit over the green into the most daunting bunker at
Aurelius National. Sinclair was lucky to be even in the bunker.  His tee shot
sailed over the green but hit a tree and landed in the backside bunker. 

Faced with a shot that sloped down the green toward Roy's Creek, he blasted out to
2 feet for par! 

Kluffen was still poised to win his first major championship until he made a
mistake that will live with him until his next chance. 

He selected a dangerous route to the par-5 13th green, then bowed his head as the
ball plunked into the water. 

"I played perfectly well enough to win the golf tournament," Kluffen said, "(but)
the day did not turn out like I wanted." 

Ditto for Rothies, the Westrian darling of the crowds, who was followed along by
his father, the IGT Commissioner, all day.

"I felt like I was going to win the tournament when I stepped on the first tee,"
Rothies Junior said. "I was really trying to push too hard." 

McFeeley, an overwhelming favorite at the start of the week, wound up missing key
shots on the par 5s.  "I knew going into this week that every time I play, this
game is very
fickle," he said. "Even though I didn't get off to a good start Thursday, I gave
myself a chance. I got back into the tournament and had a chance on Sunday." 

McFeeley, who opened with a 75 and was nine strokes back after two days, got the
deficit down to three strokes early and seemed poised to pounce. 

Sinclair was in the fairway, waiting for the group ahead to tee off on the par-4
fourth, when he glanced up at the large white leaderboard in time to see another
birdie posted for McFeeley. Sinclair proceeded to hit his approach long at the
par-4 third and bogeyed. 

McFeeley went out in 33. He was 4 under for the tournament and slowly gaining
momentum for the kind of back-nine charge that he has become so famous for.

But Sinclair's biggest threat was Kluffen. He made a couple of 8-foot putts early
to close a three-stroke deficit to one, then really began to apply the pressure
with birdie putts from 12 feet on No. 6, a good pitch to 2 feet on the par-5
eighth, and a sliding 6-footer on No. 9. 

What did that get him? Nothing. 

Sinclair matched every birdie and answered every great approach by Kluffen with
one of his own to take that slim lead to the back nine. 

McFeeley then ran out of chances. 

The San Patrician IGT Grand Championship titleholder had too few fist pumps and
too many sighs on the back, none louder than when his 4-foot birdie putt on the
par-5 13th turned away. It was the first time all week that McFeeley had to settle
for par on this hole.

It could have been worse. 

Kluffen was exactly where he had planned on being for the past seven months.
That's when he started pounding his body into shape with heavy lifting, lots of
running and a disciplined diet. All he wanted was a chance on the back nine of
Aurelius National come Sunday. And here he was. But with one bad decision, and a
bad swing to match, there he went. 

Sinclair would never give him or anyone else a chance. Despite a three-putt bogey
on the 16th, he was always in the fairway, always on the green. 

Now, a man who once toiled in the most remote places on earth trying to make a
living before the establishment of the IGT, is the first to join an exclusive club
of great champions to come. 

What a journey. 

Nice comeback by the Westrians, who were missing in action last week, but not
enough for the win.

FINAL SCORES AND EARNINGS IN CHRISTIANAN CROWNS:

  Sinclair (FRW), $828,000      72-67-70-69-278 -10

  M.Rothies Jr. (WES), $496,800 72-67-74-68-281  -7

  Oostingverde (WES), $266,800  73-69-71-69-282  -6
  Kluffen (WES), $266,800       73-65-74-70-282  -6

  McFeeley (SPA), $184,000      75-72-68-69-284  -4

  Birch (BRO), $165,600         69-72-75-69-285  -3

  McGurk (SPA), $143,367        75-72-68-71-286  -2
  Klagstein (WES), $143,367     71-68-76-71-286  -2
  Cartier (FRW), $143,367       79-68-70-69-286  -2

  Orford (FRW), $124,200        72-75-71-69-287  -1

  Burchard (CHR), $105,800      74-69-73-72-288   E
  Straswell (WES), $105,800     80-68-70-70-288   E
  Van der Treff (WES), $105,800 76-72-70-70-288   E

  Hosking (UNT), $80,500        68-76-73-72-289  +1
  Von Chicken (WES), $80,500    73-74-71-71-289  +1
  Dahlista (CAB), $80,500       73-75-72-69-289  +1
  O'Banion (SPA), $80,500       77-69-72-71-289  +1

  Lumle (LEX), $69,000          73-69-77-71-290  +2

  DePoort (WES), $53,820        79-67-74-71-291  +3
  Soya (WMC), $53,820           76-69-75-71-291  +3
  Indurain (DEU), $53,820       76-69-77-69-291  +3
  Collino (ALT), $53,820        76-70-75-70-291  +3
  Ipsi (KTZ), $53,820           72-71-77-71-291  +3
  Nithz (OOO), $53,820          70-73-75-73-291  +3

  Hassedd (DJR), $37,567        78-67-73-74-292  +4
  Shearer (UNT), $37,567        75-71-72-74-292  +4
  Holland (CHR), $37,567        71-70-76-75-292  +4

  Starn (LCP), $28,673          75-70-70-78-293  +5
  Norling (ALT), $28,673        71-71-75-76-293  +5
  Bedinsson (NEO), $28,673      75-71-72-75-293  +5
  Bieri (WES), $28,673          75-72-72-74-293  +5
  Wan Hujan (LEX), $28,673      72-72-74-75-293  +5
  Senaduro (CAB), $28,673       72-72-74-75-293  +5
  Huskarl (ALT), $28,673        71-77-73-72-293  +5
  Protheroe (FRW), $28,673      72-71-77-73-293  +5
  Tahoma (CHR), $28,673         72-72-77-72-293  +5

  Olejnik (GUW), $21,620        75-68-78-73-294  +6
  Chriponsi (BRO), $21,620      75-71-75-73-294  +6
  Johannessen (WES), $21,620    74-74-73-73-294  +6

  Siggis (BOB), $17,480         70-72-75-78-295  +7
  Gortsidler (ALT), $17,480     72-76-73-74-295  +7
  Rajpatell (WMC), $17,480      77-71-70-77-295  +7
  Iro (GUW), $17,480            74-70-76-75-295  +7
  Disbach (ARO), $17,480        72-71-78-74-295  +7
  Ouesreche (BRO), $17,480      73-69-79-74-295  +7

  Huyfrino (BRO), $13,800       75-70-78-73-296  +8
  Grünwiesen (WES), $13,800     76-71-74-75-296  +8

  Weslow (IWK), $12,604         73-74-76-74-297  +9

  Fuyoung (WMC), $11,623        78-69-77-74-298 +10
  Sachient (WMC), $11,623       76-71-79-72-298 +10
  Seruca (KAL), $11,623         74-72-73-79-298 +10

  Gelfinger (LCP), $10,948      71-74-75-79-299 +11
  T. Rothies (WES), $10,948     74-74-78-73-299 +11

  Elfenbein (WES), $10,672      75-71-79-78-303 +15
  Novello (ALT), $10,672        74-70-81-78-303 +15

  Sunilam (WMC), $10,580        76-72-77-83-308 +20

  Juligartian (WES), $10,488    72-74-86-81-313 +25