The mercurial San Patrician overcame a horrendous blunder earlier in Sunday's
round by making par on the third extra hole to win the Trinka Nuss Desert Classic
in a thrilling playoff over hard-luck Laurence "Leopard" Birch of Brolecia and
Westrian Joshua Klagstein. 

Birch, who remains winless on the IGT while lesser-rated compatriot Guillaume
Ouesreche has already chalked up two wins, caught a huge break on the third
playoff hole when he was given relief from newly laid sod left of the 18th green.
He chipped to 5 feet, but missed the par putt.  That left McGurk only a short putt
for his first victory on the IGT. 

It was "gimmie" length, but not after what happened on the 12th hole, when McGurk
somehow missed from that same distance. He recovered with two birdies for a
4-under-par 66 that got him into the playoff at 11-under 269. 

Westrian Klagstein, also looking for his first win, bogeyed the 72nd hole for a 65
after having led the field most of the afternoon, and was eliminated with a par on
the par-3 17th, the second playoff hole, when his 15-foot birdie putt lipped out. 

Birch stayed alive with a 20-foot birdie on the same hole, but will look back on
two critical misses on the 18th. He had an 8-foot birdie putt in regulation that
would have given him his much sought-after win that would have silenced the
critics, which have been heard ever since Chriponsi and Ouesreche stole the
spotlight two weeks ago, with the victory going to Ouesreche.  Birch, who was tied
for the third-round lead with Kalesthesian Bodo Quay, had a 69.

McGurk earned $720,000 Christiana Crowns for the win.  He will move right to the
top echelon of players on the Order of Merit by winning against a world-class
field, and now must be considered for more than his colorful outfits and spirited
demeanor. 

Hometown hero James Nithz nearly pulled off the greatest final-round comeback of
his career, with an eagle from the fairway. 

Seven shots back to start the final round, he closed with a 63, his lowest final
round ever as a professional. But he missed a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th and
wound up one stroke out of the playoff at 270, along with Quay (70). 

Nithz' coach Harry Buchton, who caught a red-eye from Montroy early Saturday to
help Nithz with posture problems, patted him on the back before he went to the
first tee and told him, "See you on the driving range before the playoff." 

He was almost right. 

Klagstein surged into contention with birdies on the first two holes and an eagle
on No. 7, and he took the lead with a 20-foot birdie on the 17th. He pumped his
fist twice, rare emotion for the usually collected Westrian, but a sign that he
felt he had this one in the bag. 

He hadn't made a bogey in 32 holes, but caught a plugged lie in the greenside
bunker and two-putted for bogey from 25 feet to fall to 11 under. 

Nithz and Pancho McFeeley, the considered the best player in the Vexillium, were
paired
together in the final round for the first time, both of them seven shots out of
the lead, but nevertheless drawing enormous crowds, who were spared from the worst
desert heat thanks to a consistent haze hanging over the dunes. 

>From 99 yards away in the fourth fairway, Nithz' sand wedge hit next to the hole,
hopped twice and spun back into the cup for an eagle, bringing the home town
crowds to a virtual boil!

The gallery behind the green responded like fans behind the goal posts after a
game-winning goal. Nithz never saw the ball go in. 

"It's hard to get excited over a shot when you never saw it," James said.  "But
heck, I'll take it anyways!"

And this sure put him back in the hunt. With two more birdies for a 30 on the
front nine, he trailed the third-round leaders by only one stroke. 

The biggest galleries followed Nithz, and some climbed the very few mature trees
to get a better view. Nithz didn't disappoint with decent birdie chances on nearly
every hole and the kind of emotion that left the Desert Club at Ixihuepetl buzzing
all afternoon. 

With a two-putt birdie on the 16th, Nithz got to 10 under and, for the first time
all week, was in a tie for the lead. 

Birch made a 15-foot eagle putt on No. 7 and a terrific birdie from a fairway
bunker on the 10th put that put him at 12 under and in control of the tournament.
That didn't last. 

He three-putted No. 12 for bogey, then again ran into trouble on the 14th with a
4-wood into the trees that left him no option but to pitch to the fairway. His
bogey created a four-way tie for the lead among Birch, McGurk, Klagstein and
Nithz. 

But Nithz narrowly missed birdies chances on the last two holes, sinking to his
knees in disbelief when his 15-footer on the 18th caught the left edge. 

"I knew if I could make that putt it might make things interesting," Nithz said. 

McGurk was elated after his win: "To win my first on the home continent makes it
even better.  I can't wait until the tour returns to Melania later this season. 
Watch out, guys... the floodgates may just open, now that I broke the winning
spell!"

The Trinka Nuss Desert Classic had all the excitement it could take for one week. 
What a tournament!

The final scores and earnings in Christiana Crowns:
(x-won playoff)

  x-McGurk (SPA)             70-65-68-66--269   $720,000      11-under    
  Klagstein (WES)            73-63-68-65--269   $352,000                  
  Birch (BRO)                66-63-71-69--269   $352,000                  
                                                                          
  Quay (KAL)                 68-65-67-70--270   $176,000      10-under    
  Nithz (OOO)                73-67-67-63--270   $176,000                  
                                                                          
  Nagy (SPA)                 69-68-68-66--271   $144,000       9-under    
                                                                          
  Z'Bagoor (LEX)             69-66-70-67--272   $129,000       8-under    
  Bedinsson (NEO)            72-65-71-64--272   $129,000                  
                                                                          
  Russell (FRW)              68-68-70-67--273   $116,000       7-under       
                                                                             
  Bilau (NAM)                70-66-72-66--274   $100,000       6-under       
  Disbach (ARO)              73-65-70-66--274   $100,000                     
  Tahoma (CHR)               72-67-66-69--274   $100,000                     
                                                                             
  Chelzes (SCK)              71-72-64-68--275   $80,000        5-under       
  Beobidhenhe (EDE)          69-66-72-68--275   $80,000                      
                                                                             
  Jernandez (DEU)            71-71-66-68--276   $64,000        4-under       
  Dascunyan (LOM)            66-69-71-70--276   $64,000                      
  M. Rothies, Jr. (WES)      70-68-70-68--276   $64,000                      
  Affengrell (OOO)           71-69-69-67--276   $64,000                      
  Von Toschamerton (DEY)     68-70-68-70--276   $64,000                      
                                                                             
  McFeeley (SPA)             70-69-68-70--277   $44,960        3-under       
  Imvaldt (WES)              73-66-73-65--277   $44,960                      
  Chriponsi (BRO)            71-70-68-68--277   $44,960                      
  Harrison (MER)             69-68-69-71--277   $44,960                      
  T. Rothies (WES)           70-71-67-69--277   $44,960                      
                                                                             
  Murial (NAM)               68-68-74-68--278   $31,200        2-under       
  Unon (LEX)                 69-69-74-66--278   $31,200                      
  Weslow (IWK)               70-70-68-70--278   $31,200                      
  Biëri (WES)                68-67-74-69--278   $31,200                      
  Kilandra (BOW)             70-68-70-70--278   $31,200                      
                                                                             
  Kresnick (SCK)             72-67-71-69--279   $26,000        1-under       
  Johannessen (WES)          73-70-67-69--279   $26,000                      
  Boyd (FRW)                 75-67-69-68--279   $26,000                      
                                                                             
  Mendelsonn (BRO)           75-67-67-71--280   $20,250        even          
  Hassadd (DJR)              71-66-73-70--280   $20,250                      
  Childress (SCK)            77-66-70-67--280   $20,250                      
  Durranende (LEN)           71-70-71-68--280   $20,250                      
  Malin (KAL)                70-69-74-67--280   $20,250                      
  Fletcher (ARM)             71-67-69-73--280   $20,250                      
  Lubjana (DRA)              71-72-72-65--280   $20,250                      
  Seruca (KAL)               72-66-73-69--280   $20,250                      
                                                                             
  Wright (CHR)               70-70-73-68--281   $13,620        1-over        
  Oudenryn (GUW)             69-70-74-68--281   $13,620                      
  Koblenthz (IWK)            70-70-73-68--281   $13,620                      
  Dews (RAS)                 69-66-75-71--281   $13,620                      
  Chimes (SCK)               71-71-72-67--281   $13,620                      
  Youlduahe (NIO)            71-69-72-69--281   $13,620                      
  Gelfinger (LCP)            69-69-73-70--281   $13,620                      
  Lariman (REZ)              74-68-69-70--281   $13,620                      
                                                                             
  Merch (REZ)                72-67-73-70--282   $9,691         2-over        
  Leq (LEX)                  73-70-72-67--282   $9,691                       
  Knöchel (IWK)              72-68-72-70--282   $9,691                       
  Juligartian (WES)          73-68-71-70--282   $9,691                       
  Von Chicken (WES)          72-70-73-67--282   $9,691                       
  Waturnowani (ALL)          73-68-71-70--282   $9,691                       
  P. Cartwright (ARM)        71-71-72-68--282   $9,691                       
                                                                             
  Rewenlys (LEX)             71-71-70-71--283   $8,920         3-over        
  Quartermaine (RAS)         70-73-72-68--283   $8,920                       
  Norling (ALT)              72-69-73-69--283   $8,920                       
  Buettner (GUW)             72-70-71-70--283   $8,920                       
  Lemmernig (IWK)            71-67-74-71--283   $8,920                       
  Starn (LCP)                71-72-71-69--283   $8,920                       
                                                                             
  Zippawalansa (WOO)         70-66-77-71--284   $8,480         4-over        
  Gelulola (NIO)             73-70-74-67--284   $8,480                       
  Okay (WMC)                 68-70-75-71--284   $8,480                       
  Orford (FRW)               70-68-73-73--284   $8,480                       
  G'Ratangg (KON)            75-68-75-66--284   $8,480                       
                                                                             
  Senaduro (CAB)             73-70-70-72--285   $8,080         5-over        
  Mestrov (GUW)              72-70-75-68--285   $8,080                       
  Kepparketl (ALT)           74-69-68-74--285   $8,080                              
  Vandenbrigg (WES)          73-68-75-69--285   $8,080   
  Pickering (ARM)            71-66-76-72--285   $8,080   
                                                         
  Zirandria (NAM)            72-68-77-69--286   $7,720         6-over
  Kisq (ALL)                 71-67-76-72--286   $7,720   
  Medium (DEU)               74-69-73-70--286   $7,720   
  Ipsi (KTZ)                 72-70-74-70--286   $7,720   
                                                         
  Kessel (KTZ)               71-71-73-72--287   $7,520         7-over
                                                         
  Malatest (ALT)             73-70-71-74--288   $7,400         8-over
  Kipwuleru (WOO)            76-67-74-71--288   $7,400   
                                                         
  Strevel (MER)              71-71-74-73--289   $7,240         9-over
  Von Trasnau (ALB)          75-68-72-74--289   $7,240   
                                                         
  Wan Hujan (LEX)            70-73-77-70--290   $7,080        10-over
  Indurain (DEU)             69-73-72-76--290   $7,080   
                                                         
  Harvey (CHR)               72-70-75-75--292   $6,920        12-over
  Tennant (ARM)              71-71-76-74--292   $6,920