Gelfinger became the first Covian winner on the IGT, continuing the astonishing string of first-time winners on the 301 Tour by making double bogey on the third playoff hole and winning when Draconian Thaddeus LUBJANA three-putted from 6 feet for a shocking loss that nearly left him in tears. 

Westrian Valdemar OOSTINGVERDE was eliminated from the three-man playoff one hole earlier when he failed to save par from a plugged lie in the bunker. His final words as he left the course were, "It looks like a disaster out there." 

He had no idea. 

All three players finished at 19-under 269. All had eagle putts to win in regulation on
the par-5 18th hole, and again on the first extra hole. 

The third playoff hole, the 425-yard 17th, was a script right out of a horror show. 

Gelfinger hit first and fanned his drive into a canyon left of the fairway, leaving him
with virtually no chance at par. Lubjana followed by hitting his drive in the exact same
spot. 

Both hit provisional tee shots, assuming the balls would not be found, and both hit the
fairway with their third shots. 

But Lubjana found his ball and had to go back to the tee and hit his third shot over
again. Gelfinger was already in the fairway and didn't want to find his. Much to his
chagrin, someone in the gallery found it for him and he had to replay his third shot, too. 

Lubjana hit the fairway for the second time. Gelfinger's ball headed for the canyon once
again. 

"Oh, no! Spit it out!" he implored. 

A tree obliged, but left him a tough lie, and Gelfinger hit a great approach to 25 feet.
>From the fairway, Lubjana hit his wedge to 6 feet and appeared on the verge of victory. 

Gelfinger two-putted for his double bogey. Lubjana's winning bogey putt, however, ran 4
feet by and he missed it coming back. 

"I'm in shock right now," Lubjana said, holding back tears. "When Tony fanned his shot
into the garbage, I got too excited. Other than getting stupid, I feel like I played
pretty good."

After spending a week having to digest a bad meal that gave him food poisoning, Gelfinger found winning to be the best remedy.  He closed with a 66. 

Gelfinger won $630,000 for his first career victory, which was also the first victory for a player from Lamb's Cove. 

Caboteniasan Paulo SENADURO tried to make it interesting, too. 

In his best position going into the final round this year, Senaduro closed within one
stroke of the lead but failed to birdie either of the par 5s on the front nine. He spent
the rest of the sunny afternoon at Eagle Pines trying to catch up, but his swing just
wasn't sound enough for that to happen. 

He had a 15-foot eagle putt from the fringe on the 18th hole that would have temporarily
tied him for the lead, but it fishtailed to the right and he had to settle for his third
straight 67, two strokes out of the lead and in fourth place. 

With 22 players within four shots of the lead, just about everyone had a chance to win
when the final round began.

That included the three men in the playoff. 

Oostingverde had a 25-foot eagle putt to win in regulation and a 12-foot eagle putt on the first extra hole at No. 18. He missed both, then took himself out of the playoff with a 4-iron into the bunker on No. 16. 

"Like I said yesterday, I needed to shoot the low round of the day," said the Westrian,
who closed with a 67. "That would have done it. I didn't play great, but it was fun to be there." 

Lubjana, who holed a 35-foot birdie putt on the 17th to pull into a tie for the lead, left himself a long eagle putt on the 18th that he nestled close for a tap-in birdie for a 66. 

He had a 35-foot eagle putt on the first extra hole, and a 25-foot birdie putt on the
second sudden-death hole, the par-3 16th. 

Gelfinger, who let a two-stroke lead get away from him on the back nine, had the best
chance of eagle on the 18th with a 7-iron to within 12 feet.  The winning putt dipped
below the cup at the last second, and Gelfinger looked like he was sick to his stomach. 

Indeed, Gelfinger looked like he would be the first one eliminated when his 80-foot eagle putt on the first playoff hole trickled 6 feet by, but he drained it coming back to stay in contention. 

For the favored home contingent of Bowdanian players, the result was rather a
disappointment, with last week's winner James KILANDRA unable to keep his momentum.  Best Bowdanian was KILET in tied-5th place.

The final results and earnings, in Christiana Crowns:

  x-Gelfinger (LCP)          $630,000   68-64-71-66--269    19-under

  Lubjana (DRA)              $308,000   68-67-68-66--269    19-under
  Oostingverde (WES)         $308,000   65-67-70-67--269

  Senaduro (CAB)             $168,000   70-67-67-67--271    17-under

  Kilet (BOW)                $133,000   64-69-70-69--272    16-under
  Sinclair (RFW)             $133,000   68-67-68-69--272

  Disbach (ARO)              $109,083   68-68-68-69--273    15-under
  Kruddorf (SCK)             $109,083   69-68-66-70--273
  Zoek (WES)                 $109,083   68-69-71-65--273

  Nickerson (DAV)             $87,500   70-68-68-68--274    14-under
  Havrillak (MER)             $87,500   68-68-70-68--274
  Von Toschamerton (DEY)      $87,500   66-70-71-67--274

  Birch (BRO)                 $60,000   69-70-67-69--275    13-under
  Galinheira (ORD)            $60,000   68-68-69-70--275
  Uunderfvil (KTZ)            $60,000   69-69-69-68--275
  Norling (ALT)               $60,000   68-68-70-69--275
  Hosking (UNT)               $60,000   70-68-69-68--275
  T. Rothies (WES)            $60,000   70-68-69-68--275
  Caird (CAL)                 $60,000   70-67-69-69--275

  Huskarl (ALT)               $39,340   71-66-69-70--276    12-under
  Lumle (LEX)                 $39,340   69-66-69-72--276
  Kilandra (BOW)              $39,340   67-71-70-68--276
  Huang (WMC)                 $39,340   67-71-70-68--276
  Shonaugh (SOM)              $39,340   68-69-70-69--276

  Chelzes (SCK)               $29,400   71-69-67-70--277    11-under
  Fornende (CAB)              $29,400   67-70-69-71--277

  Weilderman (BOW)            $22,808   71-68-69-70--278    10-under
  Werkem (BOW)                $22,808   68-69-69-72--278
  Turhan (ALB)                $22,808   73-66-69-70--278
  Leuwenzaan (LOM)            $22,808   68-71-71-68--278
  Coswyn (SOM)                $22,808   71-68-67-72--278
  Dahlista (CAB)              $22,808   73-66-68-71--278
  Durranende (LEN)            $22,808   67-69-68-74--278
  Yurhaus (MER)               $22,808   68-72-68-70--278
  O'Banion (SPA)              $22,808   67-68-71-72--278

  Tensol (CHR)                $16,485   69-70-71-69--279     9-under
  Seruca (KAL)                $16,485   69-70-73-67--279
  D'Amor (ALT)                $16,485   72-69-70-68--279
  MacGillivray (CAL)          $16,485   73-65-71-70--279
  Burchard (CHR)              $16,485   71-70-69-69--279

  Pickering (ARM)             $12,250   70-71-72-67--280     8-under
  Klagstein (WES)             $12,250   70-71-68-71--280
  Falangio (EKZ)              $12,250   67-73-70-70--280
  Kalviack (KAL)              $12,250   68-70-72-70--280
  Brok'levitsch (KTZ)         $12,250   67-72-70-71--280
  Malachai (REZ)              $12,250   72-68-68-72--280
  Cates (DAV)                 $12,250   72-67-72-69--280

  D'Oliveira (ORD)             $8,796   70-66-69-76--281     7-under
  Pharinser (DRA)              $8,796   69-65-74-73--281
  Larocquette (DAV)            $8,796   70-71-72-68--281
  Jarvie (MER)                 $8,796   71-69-70-71--281
  Kepparketl (ALT)             $8,796   71-68-71-71--281
  Thomasson (LCP)              $8,796   72-65-72-72--281

  Berch (CHR)                  $8,015   70-69-72-71--282     6-under
  Sorithzy (WMC)               $8,015   70-69-72-71--282
  Gnorelia (CAB)               $8,015   69-71-73-69--282
  Pennenton (UTA)              $8,015   73-67-73-69--282

  Bobone (ORD)                 $7,490   70-69-73-71--283     5-under
  Uroja (UTA)                  $7,490   70-69-73-71--283
  DeJargen (BOW)               $7,490   72-69-74-68--283
  Mandrin (BOW)                $7,490   67-69-72-75--283
  Verde (ORD)                  $7,490   70-71-69-73--283
  Blutvogt (ALT)               $7,490   72-69-71-71--283
  Ness (CAL)                   $7,490   71-68-73-71--283
  Merch (REZ)                  $7,490   68-73-72-70--283
  Bilau (NAM)                  $7,490   68-71-72-72--283
  Drenner (NAM)                $7,490   68-70-73-72--283
  Quay (KAL)                   $7,490   69-72-70-72--283

  Da Gama (ORD)                $7,000   71-70-72-71--284     4-under
  Rosebridge (SOM)             $7,000   68-73-73-70--284
  Imvaldt (WES)                $7,000   68-67-71-78--284

  McFeeley (SPA)               $6,790   69-70-75-71--285     3-under
  MacBain (CAL)                $6,790   71-70-74-70--285
  Siggis (BOB)                 $6,790   69-70-68-78--285

  N'Banj (UTA)                 $6,580   71-70-68-77--286     2-under
  Wan Hujan (LEX)              $6,580   67-73-73-73--286
  Nithz (OOO)                  $6,580   71-65-76-74--286

  Tennant (ARM)                $6,370   70-70-70-77--287     1-under
  Sunilam (WMC)                $6,370   73-68-74-72--287
  Dascunyan (LOM)              $6,370   70-70-74-73--287

  Strevel (MER)                $6,230   70-71-75-72--288     even

  Antanavo (LEN)               $6,125   71-70-76-73--290     2-over
  Iro (GUW)                    $6,125   71-69-75-75--290

  Kluffen (WES)                $6,020   72-68-78-73--291     3-over

  Gelulola (NIO)               $5,950   69-72-76-80--297     9-over