Bermuda Open at Port Royal Golf Club yesterday by two strokes.

Lewis, the 1985 winner, had the advantage of playing in the threesome just ahead of the top group, which included Kirby, Bermudian Kim Swan and first-day leader John Riegger. Kirby held a one-stroke lead (212) over Swan (213) and three over Riegger and Lewis (215) when the final round began under bright skies.

And while Swan pulled level with Kirby on the first hole with a par four compared with Kirby's bogey, and then forced ahead of the overnight leader on the next hole with his first birdie, it was Lewis who was quietly going about his business of cutting away at Kirby's lead.

"It's very hard in the leader group to shoot a great round,'' said Lewis afterwards. He admitted the pressure was off him with the spectator interest centred on the last threesome.

"I'm sure if I was in the last group I wouldn't been able to shoot a 68 today,'' Lewis said. "It was definitely a big asset to play in the second-last group. I had a game plan to shoot in the 60s and I was able to shot a 68.'' Lewis' was his best round of the tournament, which began with a 75 on Thursday.

While Kirby was able to regain the upper hand against Swan with a birdie two on the par-three third and then complete the front nine with six straight pars, Lewis had made his move by scoring three birdies on the first four holes to finish the front nine on three-under 33.

Riegger was steady, though unspectacular, with his even-par 36, which included a bogey on the eighth and a birdie on the ninth. Swan also finished the front nine on even par, having chipped in from the edge of the green for birdie on the ninth.

While Kirby and Riegger had pars to start the back nine and Lewis dropped a stroke with his second bogey, Swan gained a stroke with his birdie three on the par-four 10th. But it was to be the last time he was in serious contention as he followed up with a bogey while Lewis had a birdie on the 11th.

If Lewis dropped a shot, like he did with a bogey on the 14th, he immediately followed up with a birdie to go past the 15th still three under par. Swan slipped further back with two straight bogeys while Riegger had bogey, par, birdie on 13, 14 and 15 and Kirby three straight pars after a bogey on the 12th.

After the 15th, Lewis held a narrow one-stroke lead over Kirby with Swan and Riegger level, three strokes behind Kirby and four behind Lewis.

The stage was set for a thrilling finish but it never materialised as Kirby's challenge effectively ended on the 16th after a lost ball in the trees on the left side of the green resulted in a heart-breaking double-bogey five.

Minutes earlier, Lewis had shot a par on that challenging hole, as did Swan and Riegger, and when Lewis finished with a par and bogey on 17 and 18, Kirby was left with having to shoot a birdie and eagle on the last two holes to stay in contention.

He got a birdie on the 17th and ended with a par, which only served to keep him ahead of Swan and Riegger in what was now the battle for second place. By the time the threesome finished, Lewis was relaxing in the clubhouse thinking of how he was going to spend his $10,000 first-place prize money.

"They told me he (Kirby) would need an eagle and birdie to tie,'' said Lewis as he sat in the clubhouse. "That's the way I wanted to have it, nice and boring for everybody.'' "To be successful in this tournament you have to improvise and that's one thing I'm pretty good at. I consider Eddie to be a better player than I am, in fact I consider him to be the class player in the tournament,'' said Lewis in reference to his fellow New Englander.

"In the bigger tournaments he and I have played in together he's done better.

I'm more comfortable at this level,'' added Lewis who recently won the New England Open.

Lewis had full praise for the way the tournament was organised.

"I would like to congratulate Tom Smith and the Bermuda Golf Association for doing a fine job this year.'' Kirby needs not be reminded that he is still without his first taste of Bermuda Open success, though he has promised to try again for the 10th time next year.

"I had a chance early to get under par and I didn't,'' he said of his round.

"I didn't make any putts today and then I hit a bad shot on 16. I really didn't know what Jeff was doing.

"I'm very disappointed, but to come to Bermuda and make $5,775 can't be too bad. I felt I could have played better. Yesterday (Saturday), I also had a bad finish with bogey, par, bogey (16, 17, 18), so that was a six-shot difference over two days.'' Added Kirby: "I've got to congratulate Jeff, he played well. I didn't feel I played my best. To shoot two 73s on the weekend is not good golf and I'm not going to make much money shooting 73s.'' The tournament offered some $40,000 in prize money, with Riegger picking up a cheque for $3,970 for finishing third, and Swan and Martin Gray each $2,835 for tying for fourth.

Last year's champion, Gene Fieger, tied for sixth overall with Chip Drury and both netted $1,972.50.

Local Scott Mayne bounced back from his 79 on the third day, which cut his amateur lead to one stroke, to card a two-over-par 73 yesterday and win that title by four strokes over Jonathan Marks.

JEFF LEWIS -- Final-round 68.