In almost perfect conditions, the former golf director at the Marriott resort returned to fire a bogey-free 68 and claim his second Lobster Pot professional title.

Big-hitting Smack, who headed golf operations at the Tuckers Town course between 1979 and 1984 before taking up a similar position at the Sagamore club in upstate New York, fired three birdies and 15 pars to hold off a charging pack of five, all of whom finished on 69.

And Smack, who first won in 1983 and has been returning to play in the Lobster Pot event for 11 of the past 13 years, conceded his intimate knowledge of the course played a big part in the victory.

"Heck, it was a big advantage,'' he said. "I know where to hit the ball and where not to. And I know the greens pretty well. The course was in tremendous shape, as good as I've ever seen it.'' Smack matched identical halves of 34, but at the turn was trailing by three as John Fields from Belmont, Massachusetts, went out in a blistering five-under-par 31 only to crumble on the back nine to finish on 69.

Also in that bracket were Steve Napoli, who saw his hopes dashed with a double-bogey at 17, Paul Parajeckas, Bill Andrews and Bob Cornett. Senior PGA Tour pro Bruce Devlin could manage no better than a tie for 10th with a one-over 72.

Today Smack will aim for a rare hat-trick.

He and his team of amateurs from Sagamore wrapped up the 36-hole gross division of the Lobster Pot Pro-Am on Tuesday and currently lie second in the 54-hole net division which concludes today.

Yesterday's individual amateur championship, played under the stableford format, saw Johnny Pereira take first place in the junior division from Roger Ladd (2nd) and Bob Vermillion (3rd). Nosef Espat took senior honours, ahead of Arthur McCarthy and Bob Warfield.

Wednesday's annual Charity Pro-Am at Castle Harbour saw New Hampshire pro Bill Andrews and his team of local amateurs -- Adrian Robson, Vernon Robinson, Rocky Hodsell and Bill Lusher -- waltz to a convincing victory in the net division, winning by three shots with a 16-under-par 55.

YOU'RE THE MAN -- Former Castle Harbour golf director Tom Smack carded an impressive 68 on his old course yesterday to lift his second Lobster Pot professional championship title.