The Whitlamite pulled away from the pack with three straight birdies at the turn
and never gave Ipsi or anyone else much of a chance the rest of the way, closing
with a 4-under 68 to win the Euliker Vexicorp Zartanian Open at Iruplon Castle on
the brand new venue especially built by the Zartanian Royal Family for this event. 

It was the second victory on the IGT for Protheroe, after winning the 300 Erste
Communications Whitlam Open, also not far from here, becoming the first and only
player to win both, the Whitlam and Zartanian Opens. 

He finished at 263 for a one-stroke victory over Ipsi, who had a 66 but was
haunted by blown opportunities on the back-nine par 5s. 

Saul PISHENKY had a 63 and tied for third, giving him his biggest pay checque of
the year. 

The first champion of this inaugural event, Protheroe earned $612,000 Christiana
Crowns and joins the elite circle of IGT players who have won more than one event,
the third Whitlamite to do so after Rod SINCLAIR and Jeff ORFORD.
 
With a two-stroke lead and his drive safely in the 18th fairway, a blinding rain
covered the 18th green with an inch of water and suspended play for 49 minutes. 

Protheroe had to endure a few anxious moments when he returned to the course. He
hit his approach into about 30 feet and lagged his first putt 6 feet below the
hole. Ipsi holed a 12-foot birdie putt, but Protheroe made his par and punched the
damp air with his fist. 

"It was exciting for just a minute," Ipsi said. 

"I figured it would take at least a 64 to win," Ipsi said. "He did exactly what he
had to do -- stay patient, stay ahead and he never got in trouble." 

Starting the final round with a three-stroke lead, Protheroe made only one bogey
and very few mistakes. A lesser player might have caved in to the pressure of low
scores being posted throughout the day. 

Ipsi hit a sand wedge into 2 feet for birdie on No. 8 to catch Protheroe at 19
under, joined by John CATES who was in the group ahead. 

It didn't last long. Ipsi hooked his tee shot on No. 9 into the trees, had to
punch out to the fairway and a 20-foot par putt caught the left lip of the cup.
Protheroe rapped in a 10-foot birdie putt for a two-shot swing, then birdied the
next two holes. 

Ipsi had his chances. He failed to get up-and-down from the bunker on the par-5
10th, missing a 6-foot birdie putt, and lost a big advantage on the par-5 14th. 

Trailing by two strokes, Ipsi belted a drive 333 yards into the wind and tried to
reach the green in two with his 3-wood. It ballooned ever so slightly, enough to
come down about 10 feet short of the green and into a bunker. 

With the pin only eight paces on the green, Ipsi caught his bunker shot heavy and
had to get up-and-down just to make par. Protheroe's 6-foot birdie putt curled in
the right side for birdie and a three-stroke lead. 

Ipsi birdied the next hole from 3 feet, but a 15-footer caught the left lip on No.
16, and he failed to take advantage of a 328-yard drive on the 17th, hitting sand
wedge 20 feet over the hole. 

Protheroe wasn't even planning to come to the Zartanian Open, until the Kiltanland
Open last week was canceled -- otherwise, he would have stayed in Nuarmia for a
short vacation before playing the Royal Ordlandic Open next week. 

The final scores and earnings, in Christiana Crowns:

Protheroe (FRW)               1   68-65-64-68     265    $612,000.00

Ipsi (KTZ)                    2   67-66-67-66     266    $367,200.00

Olejnik (GUW)                T3   69-65-68-66     268    $197,200.00
Pishenky (DRA)               T3   66-66-73-63     268    $197,200.00

Choek (WMC)                   5   73-65-66-65     269    $136,000.00

Kilandra (BOW)               T6   70-69-67-64     270     $99,328.58
Lyons (UNT)                  T6   67-68-70-65     270     $99,328.57
Cates (DAV)                  T6   68-70-64-68     270     $99,328.57
Uunderfvil (KTZ)             T6   65-71-65-69     270     $99,328.57
DuBraal (KTZ)                T6   71-65-67-67     270     $99,328.57
Du Klerik (REZ)              T6   66-68-67-69     270     $99,328.57
Balasta (LEN)                T6   66-68-69-67     270     $99,328.57

Suey (WMC)                  T13   70-69-67-65     271     $65,733.34
Bartrim (FRW)               T13   69-67-65-70     271     $65,733.33
Merch (REZ)                 T13   72-66-66-67     271     $65,733.33

Malachai (KTZ)              T16   70-65-69-68     272     $51,000.00
Sinclair (FRW)              T16   70-69-67-66     272     $51,000.00
Rosebridge (SOM)            T16   70-66-69-67     272     $51,000.00
Hammerstein (REZ)           T16   68-68-68-68     272     $51,000.00
Brofned (KTZ)               T16   69-67-67-69     272     $51,000.00

Sotogune (WMC)              T21   65-70-71-67     273     $31,053.34
Kresnick (SCK)              T21   67-69-70-67     273     $31,053.34
Shonaugh (SOM)              T21   68-68-70-67     273     $31,053.34
Ikita (ACH)                 T21   70-67-67-69     273     $31,053.33
Parsley (DAV)               T21   71-66-70-66     273     $31,053.33
Lariman (REZ)               T21   70-67-65-71     273     $31,053.33
Hovanec (ANS)               T21   73-64-68-68     273     $31,053.33
Bajme (KTZ)                 T21   67-69-69-68     273     $31,053.33
Gortsidler (ALT)            T21   66-65-71-71     273     $31,053.33

Kessel (KTZ)                T30   69-70-67-68     274     $22,610.00
Salvatori (FRW)             T30   67-70-68-69     274     $22,610.00

Boulabi (ALL)               T32   68-69-69-69     275     $19,677.50
Feoddu (KTZ)                T32   70-68-70-67     275     $19,677.50
Thrusa, III. (ANS)          T32   68-70-66-71     275     $19,677.50
Dromagini (DRA)*            T32   71-68-68-68     275     $19,677.50

Brok'levitsch (KTZ)         T36   67-71-69-69     276     $14,297.00
Huang (WMC)                 T36   71-68-68-69     276     $14,297.00
Fittler (FRW)               T36   73-65-67-71     276     $14,297.00
Fagundes (EST)              T36   72-66-71-67     276     $14,297.00
Falangio (EKZ)              T36   70-67-69-70     276     $14,297.00
Fornende (CAB)              T36   67-72-67-70     276     $14,297.00
Lowe (ARM)                  T36   65-70-71-70     276     $14,297.00
Beobidhenhe (EDE)           T36   71-67-71-67     276     $14,297.00
Coswyn (SOM)                T36   66-72-69-69     276     $14,297.00
Ouesreche (BRO)             T36   66-71-70-69     276     $14,297.00

N'Banj (UTA)                T46   69-69-69-70     277      $9,639.00
Antanavo (LEN)              T46   69-68-72-68     277      $9,639.00
McGurk (SPA)                T46   68-70-70-69     277      $9,639.00
MacGillivray (CAL)          T46   69-67-72-69     277      $9,639.00

Kirch (DEU)                 T50   69-70-68-71     278      $8,137.34
Deball (STK)                T50   69-69-68-72     278      $8,137.34
Silva (FRW)                 T50   68-69-72-69     278      $8,137.33
G. Cartwright (FRW)         T50   69-70-69-70     278      $8,137.33
Pickering (ARM)             T50   72-67-69-70     278      $8,137.33
Utrecht (DRA)*              T50   66-68-73-71     278      $8,137.33

Pennenton (UTA)             T56   68-71-70-70     279      $7,684.00
Lamar (LCP)                 T56   70-68-71-70     279      $7,684.00
Bilau (NAM)                 T56   70-67-74-68     279      $7,684.00

Cartier (FRW)               T59   72-64-73-71     280      $7,276.00
Mestrov (GUW)               T59   72-65-68-75     280      $7,276.00
Märklin (SCK)               T59   71-67-71-71     280      $7,276.00
Weilderman (BOW)            T59   72-67-70-71     280      $7,276.00
Matthewman (ARM)            T59   65-71-70-74     280      $7,276.00
McKey (ROS)                 T59   69-66-70-75     280      $7,276.00
Zoek (WES)                  T59   65-70-70-75     280      $7,276.00
T. Rothies (WES)            T59   70-69-71-70     280      $7,276.00
Sunilam (WMC)               T59   70-68-69-73     280      $7,276.00

Phetphongsy (ANS)            68   72-67-71-72     282      $6,936.00

Elf (DEU)                    69   69-70-72-72     283      $6,868.00

Tennant (ARM)               T70   71-68-74-73     286      $6,766.00
Horsnell (UNT)              T70   72-66-75-73     286      $6,766.00