Chriponsi sank a 10-foot birdie putt on the fourth playoff hole to
defeat his fellow compatriot Leonard Birch and capture the rain-plagued
Zerus Imperial Namurian Open. 

A playoff was needed only after Chriponsi squandered a two-stroke lead
with a bogey on the final hole of regulation, while Birch drained an
eight-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to force the playoff. 

"I was not mentally prepared for that playoff," said Chriponsi, who
drove into the trees on the final hole before two-putting for bogey.
"When I heard Leopard knocked it close, I more or less had given him the
putt mentally and knew we were going to a playoff." 

Both players finished their final round this morning after rain on
Sunday
forced an extra day of play. They entered the playoff tied at 19-under
265. 

The two Brolecians both parred the par-4 18th on the first extra hole
before extending the playoff to a third hole with birdies on the
158-yard 16th. 

 After reaching the green in two on the 557-yard 17th, Chriponsi left
his eagle attempt short before tapping in for birdie. Birch managed to
force a fourth hole by draining an 18-footer for birdie. 

"I had a pretty good idea what the putt was going to do, and I knew if I
hit it where I wanted to, it was going to be pretty close to the hole,"
Birch said. 

The two went back to No. 18, with Chriponsi using a 7-iron to reach the
green in two for the second straight hole while Birch left his second
shot just short of the green. 

"I was playing to win the golf tournament and you can't get cautious
now. You win or you lose," Chriponsi said. "I knew if I caught the
7-iron solid, I thought I could get it to the hole. Fortunately with
that being the right club, I got it close for putting." 

Birch chipped to five feet, but watched Chriponsi deny him his first
ever victory on the IGT as Lance made his winning putt and pumped his
fist in celebration. 

"It's just an awesome feeling," Chriponsi said. "After losing the other
one, this is doubly sweet.  It proves that the first time wasn't a
fluke!" 

Chriponsi was referring to his playoff loss to yet another Brolecian,
Guillaume Ouesreche, going head-to-head at the Odessos Gentlemen's Club
Classic in April, where Ouesreche held him off to score his second IGT
win.  This time, in yet another playoff between Brolecian contenders, it
was Chriponsi who came out on top.  He received a first prize of
$468,000, putting him firmly in the top ranks on the Order of Merit, and
getting him ever closer to clinching a spot on the Golden Chalice Team. 

Chriponsi, who shot a final-round 67, became the 15th first-time winner
on the IGT this season and the second Brolecian after Ouesreche to win. 

"There's no question it's a breakthrough mentally," said Chriponsi. "You
keep telling yourself you can win, but until you do it, that last bit of
doubt always remains." 

Still a relative unknown coming into this week, Chriponsi hopes this win
will propel him to greater success and visibility on the IGT. 

"I want to win as many times as possible," Chriponsi said. "I want more
people to know who Lance Chriponsi is instead of everybody this week
going, 'Who?'" 

Birch was disappointed not to win, especially since his teammates now
are three up on him in wins. 

"I didn't play very well (Sunday), so if I had done my work correctly
yesterday, I would have been far enough ahead of these guys that they
would have been chasing me instead of me chasing them," Birch said. "He
(Chriponsi) makes birdie on 18 to beat me, which I guess is fair since I
made birdie on 18 to tie him." 

Competing in only his second IGT event, Dornotjo Falangio finished tied
for 5th, making a very nice $98,000 Christiana Crowns.

"It was quite a week," said Falangio. "This is more than I had expected
this week. I came in here hoping to play my best, but to finish fifth
here so soon after joining the IGT is pretty special." 

The final scores and earnings, in Christiana Crowns:

x-Chriponsi (BRO), $468,000         70-65-63-67--265    19 under 
  Birch (BRO), $280,800             67-66-62-70--265    
                                                           
  Wright (CHR), $176,800            69-64-67-66--266    18 under      
                                                           
  Zippawalansa (WOO), $124,800      68-67-65-67--267    17 under      
                                                           
  Falangio (EKZ), $98,800           67-70-68-63--268    16 under  
  Du Klerik (REZ), $98,800          68-66-69-65--268   
                                                           
  Murial (NAM), $87,100             65-65-70-69--269    15 under      
                                                           
  Oberth (WES), $78,000             69-68-67-66--270    14 under      
  Bajme (KTZ), $78,000              65-62-70-73--270   
                                                           
  Bin'Weri (FNZ), $67,600           69-68-66-68--271    13 under      
  Bobone (ORD), $67,600             70-68-65-68--271   
                                                           
  Zirandria (NAM), $42,356          68-71-69-64--272    12 under      
  Galinheira (ORD), $42,356         68-67-71-66--272         
  Kessel (KTZ), $42,356             69-68-67-68--272         
  Gortsidler (ALT), $42,356         67-68-68-69--272        
  T. Rothies (WES), $42,356         68-70-65-69--272         
  Leuwenzaan (LOM), $42,356         70-68-65-69--272         
  Bneressia (NAM), $42,356          67-66-69-70--272         
  Coulfax (ARO), $42,356            69-65-68-70--272         
  Lowe (ARM), $42,356               70-65-67-70--272         
  Olejnik (GUW), $42,356            63-69-69-71--272         
  Lumle (LEX), $42,356              66-66-68-72--272         
                                                           
  Weslow (IWK), $21,914             69-70-67-67--273    11 under      
  Bilau (NAM), $21,914              68-69-68-68--273         
  Feoddu (KTZ), $21,914             66-70-69-68--273         
  Bieri (WES), $21,914              71-67-67-68--273         
  Daneben (BOB), $21,914            68-70-66-69--273         
  Cates (DAV), $21,914              71-67-65-70--273         
  Parsley (DAV), $21,914            65-68-69-71--273         
                                                           
  Huang (WMC), $16,900              69-65-71-69--274    10 under      
  Kilandra (BOW), $16,900           68-65-70-71--274   
  Najunder (WMC), $16,900           69-67-67-71--274         
                                                           
  Salvatori (FRW), $14,040          71-68-67-69--275     9 under     
  Havrillak (MER), $14,040          65-68-71-71--275         
  Van der Treff (WES), $14,040      70-69-66-70--275          
  Yurhaus (MER), $14,040            66-69-68-72--275          
  Pennenton (UTA), $14,040          69-66-67-73--275          
                                                           
  Bromaghim (MER), $10,920          69-70-71-66--276     8 under      
  Sunilam (WMC), $10,920            71-68-69-68--276         
  Larocquette (DAV), $10,920        73-66-69-68--276          
  Choek (WMC), $10,920              68-70-69-69--276          
  Lavamil (KAL), $10,920            69-68-68-71--276          
  Horsnell (UNT), $10,920           66-69-67-74--276          
                                                           
  Obamounde (NIO), $7,861           66-70-73-68--277     7 under      
  Nagy (SPA), $7,861                67-66-75-69--277          
  Lubjana (DRA), $7,861             67-72-69-69--277          
  Norling (ALT), $7,861             68-67-72-70--277          
  McDonough (SPA), $7,861           70-67-70-70--277          
  Tennant (ARM), $7,861             70-69-68-70--277          
                                                           
  DuBraal (KTZ), $6,271             71-64-75-68--278     6 under      
  Drenner (NAM), $6,271             68-69-70-71--278          
  Childress (SCK), $6,271           72-66-68-72--278          
  Grünwiesen (WES), $6,271          67-72-66-73--278          
  Beobidhenhe (EDE), $6,271         70-68-67-73--278          
                                                           
  Seruca (KAL), $5,876              69-70-73-67--279     5 under      
  Affengrell (OOO), $5,876          65-71-72-71--279          
  Von Chicken (WES), $5,876         73-65-70-71--279          
  Ipsi (KTZ), $5,876                69-69-70-71--279          
  Da Gama (ORD), $5,876             68-67-69-75--279          
                                                           
  Dahlista (CAB), $5,642            68-71-73-68--280     4 under     
  Shearer (UNT), $5,642             72-66-70-72--280          
  Senaduro (CAB), $5,642            70-68-69-73--280          
  Nickerson (DAV), $5,642           71-67-67-75--280          
                                                           
  Unon (LEX), $5,486                68-70-73-70--281     3 under      
  Buettner (GUW), $5,486            72-66-69-74--281          
                                                           
  Collino (ALT), $5,356             68-69-74-71--282     2 under     
  nusKorns (EST), $5,356            72-66-70-74--282          
  Wan Hujan (LEX), $5,356           69-69-69-75--282          
                                                           
  Kirch (DEU), $5,226               69-69-72-73--283     1 under      
  Von Trasnau (ALB), $5,226         68-71-69-75--283          
                                                           
  Fildbauer (ALT), $5,148           69-68-75-72--284     Even      
                                                           
  Glenfiddich (DRA), $5,096         65-70-74-77--286     2 over      
                                                           
  Youlduahe (NIO), $5,044           71-68-72-77--288     4 over