Paul Parajeckas won a tense final-round shoot-out against Bermuda's Dawyne Pearman to clinch the Belmont Invitation title for the second successive year yesterday.

The 48-year-old American professional from the Woburn Country Club in Massachusetts, shot a five-under-par 65, the best round of the four-day tournament, to pip Pearman to the $4,000 first prize.

Pearman had started the day as joint leader with Tom Sullivan, a shot clear of Kevin Morris and two ahead of Parajeckas.

Morris bagged an eagle two at the first hole and birdied the second to set the pace, but his challenge fell away and his 73 left him one-under for the tournament and tying for fourth place with Canadian Craig Marseilles.

Sullivan failed to recapture the form which had seen him top the leaderboard on the first three days and his 71 meant he had to settle for third place and a $1,500 prize.

Pearman looked the likely winner after the front nine, turning round three-under after birdies at the first, sixth and eighth holes, to extend his lead over Parajeckas to three shots.

Then came what Parajeckas said afterwards had been the turning point, at the tenth hole, where the American, after a stupendous 180-yard second shot with a six-iron, putted from three feet to make an eagle three. Pearman, who made par, had seen his lead slashed to one shot.

"When I'd made that eagle, it really felt like I was in the front seat,'' said Parajeckas later.

The defending champion birdied the 11th to draw level and Pearman faltered under pressure to slip behind after bogeys at the 13th and 14th holes.

By the time Parajeckas sank a 12-foot putt for a birdie two at the 17th to extend his lead to three shots, he knew the tournament was his.

Pearman pulled back a shot at the 18th, as Parajeckas suffered his only bogey of the round, but that was of little concern to the winner who saluted an appreciative crowd by grinning from ear to ear after sinking his final putt.

"Everyone says the second win is harder than the first and that's right -- and I hope it won't be the last win,'' said Parajeckas.

"I knew I would have to shoot a low score to come from behind and win. Dwayne played great but some putts just did not go in for him.

"So many people were rooting for Dwayne because he's the local guy, but I felt people were rooting for me as well, because I've been coming here so many years.

"And we must remember it's the people like the sponsors and the volunteers who make this the great tournament it is.'' Thinking of the $4,000 he will take home, Parajeckas said: "Now I can go home to my wife Lorie and my 14-year-old son Jason and say `Happy Christmas'.'' Pearman's 69 meant he was the only player in the tournament to break par in every round, but he was disappointed at allowing himself to be overhauled with the title in sight.

"Paul had a great day and played really steady -- he was always going to be tough to beat,'' said Pearman. "I was doing my best to hang in there, but there was a lot of pressure on me on the back nine where I got no birdies.

That was where I needed to do better.'' Pearman revealed that he nearly gave the Invitation a miss because of a sprained ankle which left him unable to practise in the week running up to the tournament. "My only goal was to shoot in the 60s every day and I did that, so I'm happy,'' he added. His 274 earned him second place and $2,500.

Joe Carr won the senior professionals' $2,200 first prize with an 11-over-par 291 after a last day 73, beating off the challenges of Keith Smith (296) and Ed Whalley (299).

Smith, however, had perhaps the second best shot of the day, a stupendous four iron at the par four 15th which went straight into the hole for an eagle two.

The best belonged to veteran amateur Howard DeSilva who aced the uphill par-three fourth hole for the tournament's only hole-in-one.

Top amateur for the week was Dave Purcell, who finished ninth overall in the tournament with an eight-over-par 288. His closest challengers were Nicholas Mansell (291) and Steven Duxbury (299). Purcell, 55, a retired policeman, said: "It's nice to win it at last after entering for 20 years and coming second a few times.'' Photos by Tony Cordeiro SO CLOSE -- Belmont Invitation champion Paul Parajeckas reacts as his birdie putt slides narrowly past the hole on the 13th during yesterday's final round.

DWAYNE PEARMAN -- led by three shots after yesterday's front nine but was overhauled by Parajeckas down the home stretch.

HOWARD DESILVA -- hole-in-one at the par- three fourth in yesterday's final round.