Dwayne Pearman survived a brief mental lapse and a late rally from a rival 17 years his junior to successfully defend his Bermuda Professional Golf Association Championship title at Tucker's Point yesterday.

For the third straight day the Ocean View pro carded a two-over-par 72 to finish the tournament at 289 - three shots ahead of Tucker's Point pro Andrew Trott (292) - but not before having to rebound from a double bogey at the par-three 14th hole which enabled Trott to move to within a single shot of the lead with only four holes left to play.

“I was in between clubs and a bit timid of going over the green and hit a bad chip and ended up three-putting,” Pearman said. “It was just terrible and really I think I just lost a bit of concentration.”

With Trott (72) breathing down his back, and the championship on the line, Pearman knew he had to keep focused in the clutch.

“I knew I had to tighten things up,” he told The Royal Gazette. “And sometimes it takes for someone to get close to you in order to make you sit up and start to pay attention.

“I thought at that point we were both even and so I knew I couldn't afford to make any more mistakes. But things worked out okay in the end as I remained at two-over-par coming in.”

Pearman, 44, officially clinched the tournament on the penultimate hole with a par after Trott had bogeyed.

UBP senator Kim Swan finished third after carding a second straight 76 yesterday to finish 299 for the tournament. No competitor came in under par during the 72-hole tournament.

“I'm actually pleased with the way things turned out but I still think I didn't putt that well,” said Pearman, a multiple Bermuda Open champion. “If my putting was on I'm sure I could have shot under par. I didn't hit the ball as great as I had been the first three days but if my putter was hot I'm sure I could have been under par.

“These greens were not easy and I don't play at this course much. But I'll take the win and it's good to take the trophy back to Ocean View.”

Heading into yesterday's final round Pearman could not believe his luck when he was able to stretch his lead to as many as five shots after Trott double bogeyed the opening hole.

“That was a good break but I knew there was still a long way to go and Trott is a good player who strikes the ball well,” the veteran said. “I knew it wasn't over and I was actually fortunate to get a break on three after I hooked a ball that hit a tree and came back in the fairway. Had it gone out of bounds things might have been a little different. But that's golf and sometimes you just need a little bit of luck.”

A rare long birdie putt from 30 feet at the sixth hole kept Pearman's adrenaline pumping and enabled him to make the turn at one over and maintain a comfortable five-shot lead over Trott who double bogeyed the par four sixth hole - his second on the front nine.

Pearman also made birdies at 12 and 18 to punctuate the win but only after overcoming a few tense moments with Trott now directly in his rear view mirror over the closing holes.

“Starting at ten when I made par and he (Pearman) bogeyed, I felt as though I could pull something back and mount a challenge,” Trott said.

Pearman's double bogey at 14 only heightened the suspense down the stretch.

“That's when it was game on,” Trott said. “We were both putting for birdie on 15 and 16 and we both made birdie on 18 so there was some great golf out there today. I hit a driver at 18 which left me with a little sand wedge to the green. So I could have still holed out and given him a run for his money.

“But 17 really sealed it and it always seems to be a battle between Dwayne and myself.”

Although disappointed with his putting over the final two rounds, Swan was generally pleased with his third place finish.

The veteran pro managed three birdies for the round.

“Considering I've been away from the game for quite some time, my ball striking has certainly turned the corner and I've got to the point where I'm getting some good scores going but not putting the total round together the way I would like to,” he said.

“This was a step in the right direction but I am a bit disappointed with my scoring because I putted atrociously over the last two days which underscored some very good ball striking.

“The course played very difficult because it was wet and windy; I played ten holes at even par and left birdies out there at seven, eight and nine. I missed very makeable putts.

“I hit a lot of quality shots before letting one get away from me on 11 where I made a triple bogey and then bogeyed the last three holes. I played the finishing holes badly this week but all in all I see my game improving.”

In the senior's bracket, Danny Johnson (311) finished 16 shots ahead of nearest rival Eardley Jones (327) who shot a ten-over-par 80 in yesterday's blustery conditions.