The young Zartanian certainly came out swinging at the season-opening Dolimar
Electric Tournament of Champions, featuring 32 of the 35 players to have won an
official IGT event last season! 

DuBraal made a pair of 10-foot birdie putts on the 18th hole Sunday, the first one
to get into a playoff with former Royal Christiana Open champion Quincy HOLLAND
and the second one to win the Tournament of Champions!

``You can't dream of a better way to start the year,'' DuBRAAL said. 

His ultimate goal is to win the money title on the IGT, that means ending David
Havrillak's impressive tenure at the top. 

When the final putt fell, DuBRAAL dropped his putter and raised his arms, jubilant
as ever. Tournament officials approached the 18th green in DuBRAAL's new Bowdanian
Sports car, but the bigger prize is his Z 720,000 check. 

``I'm leading the money list,'' DuBRAAL said. ``When I get old I can say to my
nephews, 'I was the money leader -- for at least one week.''' 

Maybe longer, especially since he will go over to the Lendosan Open next week and
compete in another Z 4 million tournament while Havrillak will take the week off. 

DuBraal closed with a 9-under 64 and finished at 18-under 274. 

For Holland, it was a near miss.  Unable to reach the downhill, par-5 closing hole
in two shots, he laid up and then hit wedge into about 10 feet for a chance to win
in regulation. With a steady mist falling under cloudy skies, the putt didn't have
enough speed and broke away at the last moment. 

``I felt like I was going to make it. I was convinced I was going to make it and I
was going to win the tournament right there,'' Holland said. ``I was shocked that
I left it short because when I looked up halfway, I thought it was in.'' 

The Christianan birdied four of the last six holes to shoot 67. He knew he was at
a disadvantage going into the playoff because of DuBraal's length. 

``That's not a medium-hitter's hole,'' Holland said. 

Sure enough, DuBraal's approach shot with a 3-wood came up 30 yards short to set
up an easy pitch, which he ran past 10 feet -- in almost exactly the spot where
Holland had his birdie putt in regulation. Holland hit a 3-wood that landed 142
yards away in the rough, hit wedge to 30 feet and made par. 

Havrillak, who started the final round 10 strokes behind, closed with a 65 and
finished in a tie for 10th, seven strokes behind DuBraal and Holland. 

``Very good start'' to the season, Havrillak said. ``It's just unfortunate for me
that I didn't putt that well the last two days with the wind howling.'' 

Craig PROTHEROE, who shared the 54-hole lead with Em SHONAUGH, needed eagle on the
last hole to get into the playoff but hit his drive into the left rough. He holed
a meaningless 40-footer for birdie and closed with a 69 to finish at 275. 

DuBraal started the final round four strokes back, but wasted little time getting
into contention on a breezy, cloudy afternoon off the coast of Bowdani Minor. 

The wind was not nearly as fierce as it was Saturday, turning the final round into
such a shootout that six players had at least a share of the lead at one point. 

DuBraal nearly drove the downhill, 398-yard sixth hole for an easy birdie, then
hit his approach into the 521-yard ninth to about 2 feet for a tap-in eagle. He holed
a slick, 12-footer birdie putt on the 10th to take the lead at 15 under. 

Jeffrey HOVANEC, playing in the group behind, made birdie on No. 9 to join
DuBraal, but Hovanec played the back nine in 38. Shonaugh disappeared early by hitting into the canyon along No. 5 and taking double bogey. 

Holland refused to go away. 

Twice he dropped out of the race, but only momentarily. He atoned for a bogey on
the par-5 fifth hole by pitching it for eagle on No. 9. Then, when he was two
strokes off the lead with six holes to play, he birdied four of the next five
holes. 

He needed one more birdie to get his year started in style, although he had few
complaints. 

``I had a chance to win. I had a real good chance to win,'' he said.

But it would be DuBraal's in the end.

The final scores and earnings, in RealmsZaster:

(x-won playoff)
(Par=73)

x-DuBraal (KTZ)            $720,000   73-69-68-64--274    18-under

Holland (CHR)              $432,000   69-66-72-67--274    18-under

Protheroe (FRW)            $275,000   68-67-71-69--275    17-under

Kilandra (BOW)             $196,000   67-72-73-65--277    15-under

Klagstein (WES)            $150,000   72-66-71-69--278    14-under
Hovanec (ANS)              $150,000   67-72-68-71--278
Rannatosu (UTA)            $150,000   71-72-69-66--278

Shonaugh (SOM)             $130,000   67-69-70-73--279    13-under

Cates (DAV)                $120,000   71-71-69-69--280    12-under

Ipsi (KTZ)                 $105,000   70-70-71-70--281    11-under
Havrillak (ALB)            $105,000   68-74-74-65--281

Norling (ALT)               $92,000   67-71-72-72--282    10-under

Olejnik (GUW)               $88,000   69-71-71-72--283     9-under

McFeeley (SPA)              $83,500   69-71-77-67--284     8-under
Sinclair (FRW)              $83,500   63-74-74-73--284

Aretasuna (UTA)             $77,500   69-72-78-68--287     5-under
DeJargen (BOW)              $77,500   70-70-75-72--287

Senaduro (CAB)              $73,000   67-73-75-73--288     4-under
Nithz (OOO)                 $73,000   70-72-75-71--288

Chelzes (SCK)               $69,000   73-73-74-69--289     3-under
Birch (LIS)                 $69,000   66-74-77-72--289

Orford (FRW)                $64,000   74-72-71-73--290     2-under
Gelfinger (LCP)             $64,000   72-75-73-70--290
Straswell (WES)             $64,000   72-75-72-71--290

Elf (DEU)                   $60,000   71-70-79-71--291     1-under

Oostingverde (WES)          $57,000   74-75-72-71--292     even
Kirch (DEU)                 $57,000   75-73-76-68--292

Lariman (REZ)               $55,000   72-69-78-74--293     1-over

Fornende (CAB)              $54,000   74-78-72-72--296     4-over

D'Amor (ALT)                $52,500   69-73-85-71--298     6-over
Pishenky (DRA)              $52,500   74-76-78-70--298

Iro (GUW)                   $51,000   77-80-74-73--304    12-over