His four-stroke lead turned into a one-stroke deficit in just three holes Sunday
afternoon in the Acumen Solanchatka Open, and Cates had every reason to pack it
in. Instead, the collapse became a gritty comeback, with a little help from just
his doubles partner and compatriot, Larocquette. 

``This one, I kind of had to hold on,'' Cates said. 

That's what got him into this mess in the first place. 

Cates closed with a 2-under 69 for this third IGT victory (counting his Vexillium
Cup of Golf win), this one worth his largest paycheck (Z 720,000), in what turned
out to be a thoroughly Davenport-dominated tournament.

It was far from routine. 

With birdies on four of his first nine holes, Cates built a four-stroke lead and
was cruising along the Old Angliyaan Country Club until he made the final round
more exciting than it needed to be. 

Of course, he wasn't alone. 

Larocquette, who had a 70 to finish one stroke behind with Ansonian Christophe
MOLAREY (64), could have wrapped it up had he not missed an 18-inch putt on No. 13
and taken four shots from about 100 feet to get in the hole on No. 17. 

The third Davenporter in the mix, Landon PARSLEY, had his chances, too, tied for
the lead after three holes until turning into a ``wild thing'' off the tee and
dropping five shots over his next seven holes. He finished strong and tied for
fourth, along with Em SHONAUGH (64). 

For Cates, the final eight holes looked too easy. 

``It's hard to have a four-shot lead, because I'm an aggressive player, and it's
hard for me just to aim for the middle of the greens and try to two-putt,'' he
said. 

Cates had a hard time, all right. 

His drive on No. 11 went under a tree, leading to double bogey. His tee shot on
the par-3 12th went left into a bunker for another bogey. Larocquette holed a
20-foot putt for birdie, and suddenly was tied for the lead. 

Cates' next drive went in the water, giving him another bogey. 

``Next thing I know, Philippe has got an eagle putt to go 3-up on me,'' said. 

Then, it became Larocquette's turn to fold. The eagle putt stopped 18 inches from
the cup, and he pulled the short birdie putt to the left. 

``That really killed me,'' Philippe said. ``I missed a gimme.'' 

It brought new life to Cates, who realized he only had to make up one stroke over
a closing stretch of holes where birdie opportunities are plentiful. He wasted no
time, hitting into 15 feet for birdie. 

Larocquette reclaimed the lead with a birdie on the 15th, and then Cates pulled
even during a bizarre exchange on the 16th. 

The hole is one the most raucous in golf, an arena-like setting in which it only
seems like the 119,600 fans who showed up Sunday all packed onto one hole. One man
stood out in particular to Cates. 

His 8-iron into 18 inches left him a simple birdie putt, but as he stood over the
ball, the fan screamed, ``Hooney!'' 

That's a famous line from the movie ``Caddie Hutt,'' when kids are shouting as
Danny Hooney tries to hole the winning putt in the caddie tournament. 

They both had the same ending. 

``It gave me a little incentive to make the putt,'' Cates said. 

He did just that to draw even with Larocquette, then made a gesture with his thumb
and told tournament officials to get the man off the course. 

``I think he missed the ending,'' Cates said. 

That was the fan's loss. The Acumen Open had a few more twists and turns. 

Cates had to get up-and-down for par on the 17th and was figuring how in the world
he was going to hit the 18th fairway with his driver. He didn't have to, not after
Larocquette three-putted from 30 feet for bogey on the 17th to fall one stroke
behind. 

It finally ended with Cates two-putting from about 50 feet on the 18th and
Larocquette's birdie putt burning the right edge of the cup. 

``I feel like I've squandered the tournament,'' he said. 

Parsley might feel the same way. 

He was in the trees most of the front nine -- the first time to relieve himself
after hitting his tee shot on No. 2, the rest of them trying to swing around or
hit through the mesquite and ironwoods trees at Old Angliyaan. 

After a birdie-par-eagle start gave him a share of the lead, three bad drives led
to three bogeys, and he added a double bogey on No. 11 for good measure, an 8-iron
that flew the green and into the water. 

He finished strong with another eagle on No. 15 and a two-putt birdie on the 17th. 

``I hung in there. I gave it my best shot,'' Parsley said. ``Hopefully, I'll get
in contention more and maybe one day I'll come out on top.'' 

That seemed to work just fine for Cates. 

Whitlamite rookie Steve RAFFLES impressed with the 54-hole lead, eventually
finishing sixth, best of the rookies, followed by surprising first-timer Liam
ALOYSIUS of Cimera and Eastern Delgamia's Egoitze ISUSHI.

No luck for the locals, with Adlai KRUDDORF the only Solanchatkan in the top-20. 
Zartanian Nathan SORUSNE missed the cut this time.

The final scores and earnings, in RealmsZaster:

Cates (DAV)                Z 720,000   68-64-66-69--267    17-under

Larocquette (DAV)          Z 352,000   69-65-64-70--268    16-under
Molarey (ANS)              Z 352,000   70-66-68-64--268

Parsley (DAV)              Z 176,000   68-65-66-70--269    15-under
Shonaugh (SOM)             Z 176,000   74-67-64-64--269

Raffles (FRW)              Z 144,000   65-65-67-73--270    14-under

Choek (WMC)                Z 134,000   67-68-65-71--271    13-under

Dromangini (DRA)           Z 100,000   68-67-67-70--272    12-under
Aloysius (CMR)             Z 100,000   70-70-66-66--272
Murial (NAM)               Z 100,000   70-66-66-70--272
Isushi (EDE)               Z 100,000   68-68-71-65--272
Oostingverde (WES)         Z 100,000   67-64-70-71--272
Hovanec (ANS)              Z 100,000   66-65-72-69--272
Pharinser (DRA)            Z 100,000   66-68-70-68--272

Chriponsi (PCL)             Z 68,000   71-66-67-69--273    11-under
Burchard (CHR)              Z 68,000   72-67-65-69--273
Collino (ALT)               Z 68,000   68-66-69-70--273

Kruddorf (SCK)              Z 54,000   67-67-69-71--274    10-under
di Cravengianhe (DEY)       Z 54,000   69-68-71-66--274
Sinclair (FRW)              Z 54,000   66-69-71-68--274
Ikita (TRI)                 Z 54,000   69-68-69-68--274

N'Banj (UTA)                Z 44,800   69-65-67-74--275     9-under

Lubjana (DRA)               Z 35,600   72-67-70-67--276     8-under
de Druuidt (WES)            Z 35,600   66-66-74-70--276
Kepparketl (ALT)            Z 35,600   71-66-72-67--276
Havrillak (ALB)             Z 35,600   72-66-70-68--276
Azatinou (TRI)              Z 35,600   72-69-67-68--276

Straswell (WES)             Z 24,933   70-67-67-73--277     7-under
Kilet (BOW)                 Z 24,933   71-69-70-67--277
Nithz (OOO)                 Z 24,933   64-72-68-73--277
Odrial (REZ)                Z 24,933   72-66-71-68--277
DeJargen (BOW)              Z 24,933   72-68-67-70--277
Kresnick (SCK)              Z 24,933   68-69-66-74--277
Norling (ALT)               Z 24,933   72-69-68-68--277
Huskarl (ALT)               Z 24,933   74-67-68-68--277
Beobidhenhe (EDE)           Z 24,933   67-70-73-67--277

Lowe (ARM)                  Z 18,800   70-66-72-70--278     6-under
Antanavo (LEN)              Z 18,800   69-68-71-70--278
Chelzes (SCK)               Z 18,800   68-71-70-69--278

Olio (MOA)                  Z 15,600   70-70-70-69--279     5-under
T. Rothies (WES)            Z 15,600   68-69-70-72--279
Lumle (LEX)                 Z 15,600   73-66-71-69--279
de la Court (AET)           Z 15,600   69-69-68-73--279
Chyr (ALB)                  Z 15,600   69-67-74-69--279

Kekrade (GUW)               Z 10,835   67-70-71-72--280     4-under
Kilandra (BOW)              Z 10,835   68-71-67-74--280
Oberth (WES)                Z 10,835   73-66-72-69--280
Cashasarha (EDE)            Z 10,835   69-69-72-70--280
Vinterbana (VMK)            Z 10,835   70-67-75-68--280
Kronberg (CAB)              Z 10,835   75-66-68-71--280
Ferhentodo (EDE)            Z 10,835   69-69-73-69--280
Anchinaheto (EDE)           Z 10,835   71-66-73-70--280
Biddulph (FRW)              Z 10,835   70-69-72-69--280

Sandario (TIG)               Z 9,080   70-68-72-71--281     3-under
Rellaux (CMR)                Z 9,080   72-67-70-72--281
Blavik (VMK)                 Z 9,080   68-69-72-72--281
Mandrin (BOW)                Z 9,080   67-70-77-67--281
Yurhaus (MER)                Z 9,080   70-71-67-73--281
Märklin (SCK)                Z 9,080   66-71-74-70--281

Von Toschamerton (DEY)       Z 8,680   70-68-74-70--282     2-under
De Brothie (CAL)             Z 8,680   72-67-71-72--282
Kalviack (KAL)               Z 8,680   68-71-73-70--282
Matikainen (VMK)             Z 8,680   69-70-73-70--282

Coswyn (SOM)                 Z 8,440   72-69-67-75--283     1-under
M. Rothies, Jr. (WES)        Z 8,440   71-70-70-72--283

Harrison (MER)               Z 8,320   72-69-71-73--285     1-over

Ven Vechtenrouth (WES)       Z 8,240   72-69-69-76--286     2-over

Aretasuna (UTA)              Z 8,120   71-69-74-74--288     4-over

Leuwenzaan (LOM)             Z 8,000   71-68-74-76--289     5-over
Uunderfvil (KTZ)             Z 8,000   74-66-71-78--289