Neither rain, nor cold, nor wind, nor the intricacies of the Tom Fazio-designed No. 8 Course of Pinehurst Resort could stay the charge of Michael McGowan last weekend as he swash-buckled his way to his second title in as many events in the Winternational Junior Series of Golf.

McGowan won the Junior/Senior Division of the rain-shortened tournament with a 4-under-par 68 despite three-putting the final two holes. He three-putted the par-5 17th for par, then made bogey on 18 after reaching the green in regulation, finishing five strokes ahead of runner-up Sam Packard of Pinehurst.

A former Winternational All-American, McGowan is the son of former PGA Tour professional Pat McGowan and the grandson of the legendary Peggy Kirk Bell of Southern Pines. He is a senior at The O'Neal School and is scheduled to attend the University of North Carolina on a golf scholarship next fall.

McGowan is a past U.S. Amateur and Junior Amateur match play competitor and a North Carolina High School state champion.

Packard shot one over par on the back nine to finish with a 1-over-par 73. James Bramlett of Charlotte used a 35 on the front nine to post a 74 and take third place in the division.

David Koystal II of Wilmington shot 75 to win the Freshman/Sophomore Division. He birdied holes 16 and 17 to edge Spencer Harris of Fayetteville, Grant Houser of Holly Springs and Andrew Fowler of Cary by a stroke.

Austin Dunlap of Pinehurst shot 87, while Douglass Johnson of Pinehurst shot 89

Sam Kosich of Pinehurst tied for 12th with 85.

Sarah Almond of Albemarle shot 73 to win her second straight title in the Girls' Division. Her round was highlighted by a tap-in eagle on the par-5, 425-yard second hole. She also posted three birdies.

Hannah Pierce of King George, Va., and Christina Vosters of Chesapeake City, Md., tied for second with 81.

The third event of the Series is being played this weekend on Pinehurst courses 4 and 1. For information on entering future tournaments call Peter deYoung at 295-5661.

EJGA: Bryan Stewart of Pinehurst shot 74-72--146 to coast to a five-shot win in the Eastern Junior Golf Association's Boys' 16-18 Division of the event held at Keith Hills Country Club. Ian Locklear of Pembroke was second with 151.

Will Thomas of Cary and Christopher Sherrod of Dunn tied in the Boys' 14-15 Division at 155. Thomas shot 78-77, while Sherrod posted 80-75. Connor Reilly of Whispering Pines was seventh with 168, Alex Meade of Southern Pines shot 169 and Nicholas Thompson of Southern Pines was at 170.

Joshua Martin of Pinehurst and Drew Johnson of Oak Ridge shared first place in the 12-13 Division with 138 and both shot 70-68. Zachary Martin of Pinehurst was third with 145. Josh Stockwell of Aberdeen shot 158, Cody Roberts of Whispering Pines 159 and Sean Chang of Southern Pines 163.

Andrew Johnson of Springfield, Va., won the 10-11 Division with 161, James Sugg of Pinehurst was second with 172.Biran Subin of Pinehurst shot 204 and Blake Martin of Pinehurst was at 221.

Sarah Bae of Cary shot 77-78--155 to win the Girls' Division. Katie Roberts of Whispering Pines was second with 171.

The next two events are scheduled for Pine Needles and Mid Pines. The Maples Junior Girls Invitation is Dec. 26-27. For information call Stuart Taylor at 695-6073.

Miller's Home: Kelly Miller, president of Pine Needles and Mid Pines resorts, recently returned from a golf trip to China where he represented the Seminole Club in a tournament involving club champions. Last year he was the club champion at the famed Pine Valley course as well as Seminole.

Perfect Gift: If you have golfers on your holiday gift list, surprise them by making them the stars of a golf fantasy novel where they play the leading roles.

A unique concept for golf novels has been created by J. S. Fletcher and Kathy Newbern of Raleigh, a husband-wife team that turns ordinary citizens into golf legends in a personalized book. What's more, the fantasy takes place in the Sandhills.

The authors' newest book is called "Sandhills Fore-Play" and is offered by YourNovel .com. Since the format appeared in 1992, there have been 25 novels that allow any couple to star in a personal romance story.

When ordering the book, buyers have a choice of a wild or a mild version. Each book comes in paperback or hard cover with an option of adding photos to the book's cover. To customize their book, couples fill out a questionnaire of 26 details about themselves, and the authors take it from there.

For more information call (800) 444-3356 or log on to www.yournovel.com.

Hollar Death: The Rock Barn Golf and Spa in Conover lost its long-time golf course superintendent in October when Guy Hollar died of leukemia after a short illness. He was 56 and had replaced his father as superintendent.