They started at 11.16 yesterday morning when the sun was climbing to its zenith, and nearly seven hours later as the moon shone, and dusk turned to night, they finished.

After 24 holes and countless strokes, nothing could seperate Joe Horowitz and Mike Donald, not even a black cat that crossed their paths on the second extra hole.

They fought each other to a standstill. First one, then the other edged ahead, but a miraculous chip here, a gutsy long putt there, and still neither could win. Fittingly it was Horowitz, the leader for most of the tournament, who had the final say.

The American sank a 12-foot putt from off the green at the sixth play-off hole to rescue a par to match his opponent when it seemed that Donald was going to win at the very death.

And so in an historic finish, the pair decided on a tie, unable to see to continue they shook hands and were declared the first joint winners of the Gosling Invitational.

It was a dramatic end to a day that had started with little expectation of what was to come. It was supposed to be a procession, a coronation for a champion in everything but name.

Horowitz began the day eight shots clear and playing the type of golf that suggested he would not be caught. Donald, meanwhile, had been steady for the first three rounds but at one-under-par seemed destined to play nothing more than a supporting role.

Golf, however, has a habit of producing remarkable finishes, and for Horowtiz and Donald yesterday, see Greg Norman and Nick Faldo at Augusta in 1996.

Donald still trailed by five shots going into the final nine holes of yesterday's round, but birdied 10, and when Horowitz bogeyed 11 the lead had been cut to just three shots.

It was reduced even further a hole later when Donald picked up another birdie at the par-five 12, and with Horowitz scrambling to make par, the momentum was well and truly with his rival.

The round changed at 15 when Donald hit his approach shot from 180 yards to within two feet of the flag. Horowitz could only find the fringe of the green with his and eventually made a bogey to leave the pair tied at three-under.

Even then Horowitz had a chance to win it inside the distance. Donald dropped a shot at 17, and then found trouble off the tee at 18. He eventually made a bogey to drop back to one-under, and finish with a final round 70.

Standing over his own bogey putt, Horowitz was two feet away from winning his first professional golf tournament, and he missed. His double-bogey dropped him back to one-under, an eight-over 78 for the day, and straight into a play-off.

"I'd like to say that I pulled it, or I pushed it, but I didn't, I just don't know what happened," said Horowitz.

"I really don't know. You don't get many chances like that, a two-footer up the hill to win a golf tournament. But it goes to show you the fragility of winning a golf tournament, and if it was easy everybody would do it.

"This is my first time winning a professional golf tournament, and it's very difficult. I said on the first day that I'd love to have an eight-shot lead, well I had an eight-shot lead and it wasn't enough, I needed a nine-shot lead.

"I barely remember the play-off, I don't even know if it happened, it was so dark it was like a dream. It was such an ebb and flow, I had to make three putts in the last three holes outside of five feet just to keep it going.

"I don't know if I feel great about the outcome, I guess it's a win, technically, it's a little bitter-sweet. I feel like I played the best golf all week, and I wanted to have the trophy to myself, but to share with Mike Donald is not the end of the world."

While Donald and Horowitz will shared the main trophy, Daniel Augustus was once again crowned Amateur Champion after his final round 73 left him five-over for the tournament.

The Riddell's Bay golfer was 24 shots ahead of his nearest rival and finished level with Dwayne Pearman who was the top Bermuda professional at the event.