It didn't quite make up for Sunday's Ryder Cup disappointment.

But a cheque for $150,000 and a first Merrill Lynch Shoot-out title may have gone some way towards easing the pain suffered by Curtis Strange just 48 hours earlier.

Pilloried by the American media for his own performance over the weekend, Strange suddenly rediscovered the form that has reaped an remarkable 17 PGA titles, two majors and almost $7 million in prizemoney, as he survived -- sometimes with lady luck on his side -- a rigid test against nine of his fellow pros.

At yesterday's death it came down to a one-shot decider identical to that which earned Corey Pavin his championship a year ago.

This time Strange faced off against Scott Hoch -- arguably the best player on the day having toured the nine holes in three under par -- after both had parred Mid Ocean's 18th, the tournament's final hole.

From 100 yards, Hoch dropped his sand wedge to within 18 feet. Strange lofted the same club even closer -- 15 feet, three and a half inches to be precise -- to lift the title.

Nobody would begrudge Strange his victory, yet it wasn't earned without incident.

Controversy erupted at the sixth (Mid Ocean's par-four 12th) when from a five-player bunker shoot-out both Strange's and Australian Brett Ogle's balls were measured an identical six feet 11 and three quarter inches from the hole.

A remeasure appeared to indicate that Strange was, in fact, one eighth of an inch closer. But Ogle, arguing it was too close to call, demanded another shoot-out.

Tournament referee Glen Tait, after more than five minutes deliberation, eventually ruled in Strange's favour.

At the very next hole, the Shoot-out's eighth and Mid-Ocean's par three 17th, the two-time US Open winner survived yet another close call. This time from a bunker play-off he edged out Woody Austin by a mere two inches.

But on a day when he rarely missed a fairway, played some spectacular bunker shots and putted exquisitely, Strange was always going to be tough to beat.

"It's nice to win anything, but I don't care what would have happened in the next two or three weeks, it's not going to overshadow what happened this past weekend,'' said Strange afterwards. "And it shouldn't because the Ryder Cup is a big deal to us and we lost, we didn't play well, and I didn't play well.

"Today I was very relaxed, I think I was exhausted to be quite honest. But I did play well. I practised yesterday and figured out a little bit what I did wrong this past week. But I just didn't play well coming down the stretch Sunday, and it was crucial, and we needed me, and I didn't come through.

"This helps but it doesn't compensate.'' Under glorious skies, ideal for the ABC cameras which will beam the event across America on November 5, and watched by a gallery estimated at over 5,000, there was little doubt the tournament proved every bit as successful as it did on its Bermuda debut a year ago.

For Kenny Perry, one of this year's PGA Tour success stories, it was, however, all too short.

Under the sudden death format by which a player is eliminated at each hole, Perry was the first to fall, bogeying the 418 yard first after Ogle and Hoch had birdied and the remainder made par. Having fired what appeared to be an ideal drive, Perry was left with an awkward stance on the edge of a fairway bunker from where he failed to hit the green, and was unable to get up and down.

"I just didn't have a second shot,'' said the former Kentucky University collegiate champion. "I just tried to punch a six iron, but I had no balance.

It's disappointing to go out at the first, but it has to happen to someone.'' Next to depart was this year's Masters champion Ben Crenshaw who made a complete hash of the relatively easy 471 yard par five second. His tee shot drifted right of the fairway into thick bushes and after a five minute search failed to reveal the ball's whereabouts, the veteran Tour pro was forced to return to the tee.

A missed putt from seven feet sealed Crenshaw's fate as he ended with double bogey. Payne Stewart scrambled a five after being forced to take a drop from under the trees, Ogle and Austin also made par, and the remaining five all sank birdie putts.

A dejected Crenshaw, who like Strange endured a torturous Cup weekend, offered no excuses. "I just hit a bad drive. You're not supposed to find it in the grape trees.'' The tournament's first par three, the 172 yard third, saw the remaining eight players all land on the green with either five or six irons.

But while seven of them made relatively straightforward pars, defending champion Pavin sent his first 50-foot effort ten feet past the hole, and failed to make the return.

"I remember last year I had a putt like that and came up short, and this time I hit it a little too hard. And it was the same coming back, I misread it,'' said the popular Californian.

"I certainly wanted to play all nine holes, but that's the way golf goes. I love coming here, and hopefully I'll be invited back next year.'' With three holes gone, there had been no need for a shoot-out. But that was to change at the short 330 yard par four fourth.

Hoch hit a delightful approach shot to within `gimme' birdie distance, Austin, Craig Stadler and Stewart all made par. But it was sudden death for Ogle, Strange and Mark O'Meara who all failed to get up and down after planting their second shots in a front bunker.

A long curling, downhill putt to decide who would be eliminated was never going to favour the player to putt first -- in this case 11th hour replacement O'Meara. His effort slid ten feet past the hole, Strange got within five feet and Ogle within three.

A shrug of the shoulders and O'Meara was on his way back to the clubhouse.

"That's the way it goes,'' he smiled. "To be up first was difficult, but I knew soon as I hit it, it was too hard. But I didn't play the hole well anyway -- I should have got my bunker shot closer, I hit the wrong club from the fairway, these things catch up with you eventually.'' Mid Ocean's signature hole fifth might be considered by members as one the club's toughest. But, on a virtually windless, warm afternoon, it provided no problem for the pros.

All hit booming drives into the fairway, Strange, Austin and Stewart went on to card birdies, and Ogle and Hoch comfortable pars. Odd man out was Stadler.

The portly Tour veteran hoisted a seven iron from 151 yards into a bunker beneath the green and was unable to recover -- blasting to within eight feet and narrowly missing the putt for a bogey five.

"I actually hit a pretty decent shot,'' reflected the Denver resident, who like Pavin will be remaining on the Island for a short vacation. "I guess it got a little hung up in the wind. It was the perfect club. And the bunker shot wasn't bad, but I couldn't make the putt.'' The field now reduced by half, one sensed the tournament becoming more intense.

Certainly what was to transpire on the Shoot-out's sixth (Mid Ocean's 437-yard par four 12th) reflected a change in mood.

After all five holed simple par putts -- Ogle having rifled a monster drive over 300 yards leaving himself with just a nine iron approach from 131 yards -- they were directed to a greenside bunker for the shoot-out.

From the trap Austin blasted to one foot, Hoch to two feet, Stewart to three feet and Ogle and Strange both to a quarter inch short of seven feet -- at least by the first measurement. The remeasure favoured Strange, but by such a small margin that Ogle claimed human error in marking the balls could account for the difference.

His argument, however, fell on deaf ears, much to the dismay of both he and the gallery who called for the pair to play off again. But referee Tait made his ruling and stuck by it.

"It's less than one eighth of an inch,'' complained Ogle. "It's just too close to measure, especially when a guy puts a marker down behind the ball.

I've got to argue that he put down the marker pretty quick. Less than one eighth of an inch, that's the thickness of a couple of toilet rolls, come on! "I've never come across this before, not this close. Glen Tait gave the rule, and you've got to live with it. But if it's that close there should have been a chip-off.'' Ogle out, the remaining four moved onto the 238 yard par three 13th, where the first major blunder of the day cost Stewart his chance of victory. Left with what appeared to be a simple two and a half feet putt for par, this year's Houston Open winner inexplicably pushed it outside the hole.

The rest made par, Strange recovering magnificently with a 40 yard bunker shot.

At the Shoot-out's penultimate hole, Mid Ocean's 17th, Hoch booked his spot on the final tee with a superb four iron that settled just three feet behind the pin. He made the birdie, sending his two opponents into sudden death.

From a greenside bunker Austin lifted his ball to three feet, four inches.

Incredibly Strange put his to within three feet, two inches.

Down to the final pairing, Hoch and Strange both took the cautious route at 18, playing to the centre of the green with approach shots from the left -- Hoch from an awkward stance in the rough and Strange on the edge of the fairway -- and then two putting.

And, as was the case a year ago, it was back 100 yards along the fairway for a single shot decider.

Less than three feet separated the two balls, yet if there was to be a loser it was perhaps appropriate that on the heels of the weekend's torment, Strange shouldn't be made to suffer any further.

Photos by David Skinner KISS FOR CURTIS -- Shoot-out champion Curtis Strange receives a victory kiss from wife Sarah after his triumph at Mid Ocean yesterday.

SAND SAVE -- Tour rookie Woody Austin blasts to within two feet from a bunker beside the 17th green. But he was to fall at the same hole in a shoot-out with Strange.

FRIENDLY ADVICE -- Aussie Brett Ogle (right) offers rival Curtis Strange a helping hand in lining up a putt on the fourth green.