ago when they carded a final round of 72 on Sunday to win the Bermuda Four Ball Amateur Golf Championship by one stroke.

Connors, who plays out of the Don Shulas Hotel and Golf Club in Florida and his regular partner Rourke, a member of the Framingham Country Club in Maryland, put together rounds of 73, 69, 75 and 72 in the four-day event at Port Royal to finish on 289.

But they were chased all the way home by compatriot Michael Bylen and Canadian Robert West who compiled rounds of 70-72-76-72 to finish just one back on 290.

Bylen hails from the Pine Trace Golf Club in Missouri and West from the Hamilton Golf Club in Ontario.

Third place in the gross standings went to another visiting pair, Steve Hofman and Charley Hood who carded 293.

Meanwhile, Joan Connors from La Gorce Country Club in Florida and top local amateur Judithanne Outerbridge easily retained the women's title they have now lifted four years in a row, winning by a whopping 11 strokes with a 54-hole total of 230.

Bermuda's Donna Jones and Pat Morgan were the runners-up on 241 followed by visitors N.Cobb and P.Smart (245).

There were also convincing winners in the men's net division where Bob Bowmaster and Art Veenendaal, both from the Indian Hills Golf Club in Georgia, carded 269 to win by six strokes from John Johnson and Tom Manchester from Washentaw Country Club in Missouri.

Ladies net champions were Vicky Sala and Betsy Schiffenhaus of Montclair GC in New Jersey. They pipped Bermuda's Shirley James and Bea Williams, both Mid Ocean members, by one shot -- 214 to 215.

The annual event attracted 34 men's pairs and 24 women's teams.

Absent from the field were the defending men's champions, Barry DeCouto -- now a professional -- and Dave Purcell.

Full results -- see Scoreboard