301 Sleet Whisky NK Open
Yekhovia National Golf Club, Kathyapiyanka, Yekhovia, Niokolo Koba

KATHYAPIYANKA, NIOKOLO KOBA ---- Erratic with his driver to the very end, Westrian Joshua KLAGSTEIN recovered with two brilliant shots that set up birdies, including a 15-footer on the final hole to beat hard-charging Kalesthesian Telton SERUCA by one stroke and win the Sleet Whisky NK Open on Sunday. 

"It's nice to finally win," Klagstein said. "It was not a pretty round of golf, but I got the ball in the hole. I was able to get some wonderful breaks down the stretch." 

Klagstein closed with a 3-under 69 to win his first tournament on the IGT. It wasn't easy, and Klagstein needed some luck. 

Seruca had a 6-under 66, making back-to-back birdies to take the lead from Klagstein and
then hanging on with a 60-yard pitch shot to within a couple of inches to save par on the 18th hole. 

Klagstein, who hit only two fairways on the back nine, appeared to be in trouble on No.
16, a par 5 easily reachable in two, when he hooked his drive left of the bunker and about 4 feet away from the out-of-bounds fence. 

One stroke behind, with the final two holes into the wind, Klagstein went for the green
and it paid off. His 7-iron came out high and long, clearing the pond and hopping up to
the back shelf for a two-putt birdie from 35 feet. 

Klagstein had little choice but to hit driver on the 18th, and pulled it badly. It
appeared to be heading out of bounds until it hit a spectator in the neck and dropped next to the cart path. A woman picked up the ball and immediately dropped it -- maybe the Klagstein logo and the word "Joshua" stamped on the ball gave her a clue. 

Klagstein got a free drop, anyway, because his feet were on the cart path. 

From 195 yards on grass trampled nearly bare by the gallery, Klagstein rifled a 5-iron
through the stiff breeze and over the water, the ball landing softly in the back portion
of the green about 15 feet from the hole. 

One putt away from putting an end to questions about what's wrong with his game, and
whether he really belongs on the IGT, Klagstein didn't waste the opportunity. The putt was true to the end, breaking gently from left to right. 

Klagstein let out a roar, drowned out by thousands of spectators crammed around the green, and pumped his fist three times before giving a high-five to caddie William Stevens. 

Klagstein, who finished at 15-under 273, earned $630,000 Christiana Crowns for his 1st
career victory.  Since of course he is a billionaire junior member of the Industrialist
Klagstein family, he doesn't need the money, and as are all his IGT winnings, the cheque
was donated to charitable organizations, in this case of Niokolo Koba.

Local Isaac OBAMOUNDE had third place locked up until hitting two wild approach shots on
No. 18 and making triple bogey. 

"I felt like I did what I needed to do to  ultimately win," Seruca said. "Josh just did
the same." 

So ended the best show on the IGT this year, a dramatic duel even though Klagstein and
Seruca were separated by two holes. Cheers resounded back and forth across the course as
Seruca surged ahead and Klagstein fought back. 

The Westrian was in control until his biggest mistake of the round, hitting a 2-iron off
the tee on the 438-yard 11th hole, into the wind. He left himself 222 yards to the green,
missed it left and had an impossible chip. 

"How stupid was that?" Klagstein muttered to himself just off the green. He made bogey to fall back to 12 under and into a tie for the lead with Seruca. 

As Seruca was walking across the bridge to the 16th green for an eagle putt up the slope, he heard a loud cheer from 1,000 yards away. It was for Klagstein, who rolled in a 40-foot birdie putt on the 14th. 

Klagstein's win was a little surprising, too, considering how shaky he was from start to
finish. He hit only seven fairways, just one using his driver. He nearly went out of
bounds on three holes, saved by either a branch or a spectator. 

"It was ugly," Klagstein said. "I didn't hit the ball that solid. I didn't know where it
was going to go but forward. I was just trying to hit the ball between the O.B. markers." 

Despite his miserable start to the season, Klagstein has said all along that he was
playing well but simply wasn't getting the breaks required to win or finish high. On a
cool, cloudy day at Yekhovia National Golf Club, he hit the ball poorly and wound up a
winner. 

"That's the beauty of our game," he said. "It's very fickle." 

It still requires some measure of skill, and Klagstein still has some of that. 
 

The final results and earnings, in Christiana Crowns:

Klagstein (WES), $630,000         71-67-66-69--273 -15

Seruca (KAL), $378,000            66-72-70-66--274 -14

Coulfax (ARO), $238,000           66-71-72-69--278 -10
 
Quay (KAL), $137,812              68-70-70-71--279  -9
Straswell (WES), $137,812         71-70-66-72--279  -9
Disbach (ARO), $137,812           69-71-68-71--279  -9
Rosebridge (SOM), $137,812        71-66-68-74--279  -9

G. Mitsuchen (WMC), $91,000       66-75-69-72--280  -8
Caird (CAL), $91,000              68-72-69-71--280  -8
Fittler (FRW), $91,000            68-68-73-71--280  -8
Oostingverde (WES), $91,000       67-74-68-71--280  -8
N'Banj (UTA), $91,000             67-72-69-72--280  -8
Obamounde (NIO), $91,000          71-66-69-74--280  -8

Kirk (CAL), $66,500               70-70-68-73--281  -7

Havrillak (MER), $61,250          70-72-71-69--282  -6
Pickering (ARM), $61,250          71-70-71-70--282  -6

Scipshold (ALT), $47,367          71-70-71-71--283  -5
Coswyn (SOM), $47,367             69-74-69-71--283  -5
MacBain (CAL), $47,367            72-66-73-72--283  -5
Kluffen (WES), $47,367            71-72-68-72--283  -5
Shearer (UNT), $47,367            67-70-71-75--283  -5
Vandenbrigg (WES), $47,367        70-73-66-74--283  -5

Kresnick (SCK), $28,788           70-75-68-71--284  -4
Von Trasnau (ABL), $28,788        72-71-69-72--284  -4
Holland (CHR), $28,788            70-75-67-72--284  -4
Kalviack (KAL), $28,788           70-71-70-73--284  -4
Oberth (WES), $28,788             72-69-70-73--284  -4
Gnorelia (CAB), $28,788           70-67-73-74--284  -4
Huskarl (ALT), $28,788            77-67-67-73--284  -4
Cunningham (FRW), $28,788         66-73-71-74--284  -4

Von Chicken (WES), $21,700        66-72-75-72--285  -3
Kilet (BOW), $21,700              73-69-69-74--285  -3
Peacock (UNT), $21,700            70-71-70-74--285  -3

Balasta (LEN), $17,675            72-70-70-74--286  -2
Novello (ALT), $17,675            71-70-73-72--286  -2
Drenner (NAM), $17,675            72-72-68-74--286  -2
Joyce (SPA), $17,675              72-72-71-71--286  -2
Bromaghim (MER), $17,675          69-72-75-70--286  -2
Gelulola (NIO), $17,675           72-72-74-68--286  -2

Shonaugh (SOM), $14,350           68-72-73-74--287  -1
Predicor (ALB), $14,350           72-70-70-75--287  -1
Boyd (FRW), $14,350               74-71-69-73--287  -1

Lamar (LCP), $11,900              73-72-69-74--288   E
Mandrin (BOW), $11,900            73-70-69-76--288   E
Deball (STK), $11,900             72-72-73-71--288   E
T. Rothies (WES), $11,900         71-71-68-78--288   E

Norling (ALT), $9,415             72-71-71-75--289  +1
Bneressia (NAM), $9,415           73-72-71-73--289  +1
Collino (ALT), $9,415             69-76-72-72--289  +1
Youlduahe (NIO), $9,415           75-70-75-69--289  +1

Fornende (CAB), $8,288            71-72-70-77--290  +2
Drawazal (KAL), $8,288            68-70-75-77--290  +2
Omala (KIO), $8,288               69-72-70-79--290  +2
Kirch (DEU), $8,288               75-69-75-71--290  +2
Jernandez (DEU), $8,288           69-73-77-71--290  +2

Affengrell (OOO), $7,805          71-73-70-77--291  +3
Lyons (UNT), $7,805               72-72-70-77--291  +3
Krall (ARO), $7,805               73-72-71-75--291  +3
McFeeley (SPA), $7,805            70-75-73-73--291  +3
Galinheira (ORD), $7,805          71-74-73-73--291  +3
Ikita (ACH), $7,805               74-70-76-71--291  +3

Birch (BRO), $7,525               70-75-71-76--292  +4
M. Rothies, Jr. (WES), $7,525     73-70-74-75--292  +4

Nithz (OOO), $7,385               74-70-72-77--293  +5
Huyfrino (BRO), $7,385            69-74-75-75--293  +5

Bilau (NAM), $7,245               68-76-75-75--294  +6
Schnickley (RAS), $7,245          74-70-77-73--294  +6

Buettner (GUW), $7,070            71-73-72-79--295  +7
Beobidhenhe (EDE), $7,070         73-70-73-79--295  +7
Falangio (EKZ), $7,070            71-74-75-75--295  +7

Saby (DEU), $6,825                73-71-72-80--296  +8
Neal (CHR), $6,825                72-72-76-76--296  +8
Narresch (IWK), $6,825            70-74-77-75--296  +8
MacGillivray (CAL), $6,825        72-72-77-75--296  +8 
     

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