Brian Auman and Dan Brown didn't win the championship of the W.B. Sullivan Better-Ball-of-Partners golf tournament on Sunday. Perhaps the only consolation was that they didn't lose it.

 The locals surrendered a two-up advantage over the final two holes of their championship match with Maryland-based Larry Storck and Micky Abrams at the Lebanon Country Club. The match was suspended because of darkness, after Storck missed a potential title-winning birdie putt on the first playoff hole.

 The match will be picked up at that point - on the tee of LCC's 507-yard, par-five second hole - tentatively Saturday at 6 p.m. The start of Sunday's final match in the championship flight was pushed back 90 minutes by an earlier thunderstorm.

 "We shouldn't even be out here talking," said Auman. "We got lucky on 16 and didn't give that one away. But then we just had to make pars. We had to make them make birdies."

 "We played solid up to that point," said Brown.

 Brown made a nice par-save to halve 16 and keep his team's advantage at two holes. But with Brown out of the hole, Auman three-putted the par-four 17th and suddenly their lead was down to one.

 A great approach shot by Abrams at 18 led to a birdie and bonus golf.

 "Obviously their par on 17 was the key," said Brown.

 "We gave it away on 17 with a bogey," said Auman. "You can't lose a hole to a par. You don't three-putt. That was on my shoulders."

 Auman and Brown forged one-hole advantage when the latter birdied the par-five tenth hole. And when Auman birdied the par-five 15th hole to go two up, it was their tournament to lose.

 "One thing in our favor," said Auman, looking ahead to the continuation of the playoff, "is that the second hole is a par-five."

 "You've got one hole," said Brown. "You've got to be ready to go."

 It was an Auman birdie on Number Two that gave the Lebanon County duo their initial lead of the championship match. It stayed that way till Storck and Abrams evened things up at the par-four sixth hole with a birdie.

 Brown and Auman reached the championship match by defeating the defending champs, Deron Zendt and Jim Rattigan, in the morning semifinals. In the other semi, Storck and Abrams dismissed the local team of Rick Troutman and Greg Ulp, 3&2.

 "This means more to me because this is Swish's last Sullivan," said Auman of retiring LCC head professional Mike Swisher. "I've been working out here since high school. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to him and said, "I'm hitting it left. I'm hitting it right.' He spends five minutes with you and you're fixed. He's my golf coach, my golf mentor. If we were lucky enough to win this, I'd give my clock (trophy) to Swish."

 Brown and Auman won the Sullivan in 2001 and have the distinction of being the last local team to do so.