Match Play Championship yesterday at Mid Ocean when she won a match for the second straight day at the 13th green yesterday to clinch a seven-and-five win over defending champion Reggie Hawes in the final.

This 36-hole final was poised for a thrilling finish after the two Americans were even after the first 18, Griffin having been three up by the 11th only to see Hawes fight her way back to erase that lead with wins on 12, 13 and 15 and then take the lead by winning 16 before Griffin sunk a birdie on 17 to wipe out that lead.

Griffin regained the lead for keeps during the front nine on the afternoon round as she won holes one, three, four, five and eight to go five up. She went through the front nine in 33 strokes, compared to Hawes' 38, as the Greenwich, Connecticut, resident showed the form that brought her the medallist title on Monday and good wins on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

"I'm ecstatic,'' Griffin said of her win. "I've tried for four years to win this. I have actually been playing well but I didn't want to say anything and get jinxed. Today my putts fell, which was mandatory.'' Hawes started the final nine holes knowing she faced an uphill battle. Her putting game was off which did not help and when she failed to make any progress on the halved 10th and the 11th, which Griffin won to go six-up after sinking a 10-foot putt, Hawes began to accept her fate.

"I kept trying to tell myself I could come back and had my putter been going it would have put less pressure on the rest of my game,'' Hawes explained.

"On the 11th I needed a miracle on both sides, though there's a point when you still believe in yourself.'' The win for Griffin enabled her to avenge her semifinal loss to Hawes last year and also helped her put the disappointment of her loss to local Kim Marshall in the 1990 final.

She missed a seven-foot putt by inches on the 12th to share the hole with Hawes and temporarily delay her victory celebrations. But on the short 13th, Griffin put her second shot less than two feet from the hole while Hawes missed with a 15-foot putt on her third shot from the edge of the green to end the match.

"The want and desire was there,'' said the first-time champion who flew out this morning to Japan on business. "I think I just played better golf this year. I feel comfortable with my game.

"Reggie is a great competitor, she's a veteran and you can never ease up with her because she'll never give up.

"She didn't putt as well as she can, which was too bad. On 11, I thought if I could make pars I would be fine.'' Already Griffin is looking forward to returning next year to defend her crown.

"This is one of my all-time favourite courses,'' she said. "There are no bad holes.'' Hawes was gracious in defeat, admitting the better player won. "Today it was Lisa's day all the way,'' she said. "This morning I may have played even with her but she was steadier than I was. This afternoon she was awesome.'' The week-long tournament wound up with Shirley Wildi winning the championship consolation final five-and-four in an all Bermuda final with Diana Diel.

The first flight final winner was Nonie Reynders who defeated Claudette Gottsegen seven-and-six while Marlene Jones won the first flight consolation with a three-and-two triumph over Joyce Craig.

WINNING STYLE -- Lisa Griffin displays the form that brought her a first triumph in the Bermuda Ladies Amateur Match Play Championships yesterday at Mid Ocean Club.