Shoreline man wins $500,000

Another Puget Sound-area man has sat in the "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" hot seat opposite Regis Philbin and come home with some prize money.

Rob Coughlin, 42, of Shoreline, won $500,000 last night on ABC's hit game show. He opted not to answer the million-dollar question: In what country are all the U.S. major league baseballs currently manufactured?

Coughlin had used a "lifeline" thatallowed him to cut the number of possible answers from four to two, but still decided not to risk it, a network spokesperson said. (The answer: Costa Rica.)

He had used another lifeline to win his half-million, calling a friend for the name of Luke Skywalker's desert home in "Star Wars." (Answer: Tatooine.)

Coughlin, a transit-company research associate, taped the show in New York last Tuesday, and returned home the following day.

In November, University of Washington math instructor David Patrick made it to the hot seat, but also fell short of the million.

Look for two more Washington state contestants on the show Thursday: Dan Doody, 26, of Kent, a temporary secretery and part-time Seattle International Film Festival coordinator; and Bob Good, 46, a veterinarian from Sumas.