Local stalwart Danny Chia cruised to a six-shot victory after shooting an impressive seven-under-par 65 at the PGM Bukit Jawi Championship on Saturday.
The 42-year-old claimed his third Asian Development Tour (ADT) title with a 21-under-par 267 total at the RM200,000 (approximately US$50,000) event which was staged at the Bukit Jawi Golf Resort.
Casey OâToole of the United States replaced Hsieh Chi-hsien of Chinese Taipei as the new ADT Order of Merit leader after settling for his second runner-up finish this season following a 69.
Sean Riordan of New Zealand matched the low round of 65 to finish third on 274 while Thailandâs Itthipat Buranatanyarat ended his campaign in fourth place after shooting a 71.
The dominant Chia eagled the sixth hole from the edge of the green to turn in 31. He picked up another eagle on hole 10 and sealed a comfortable win with a birdie on 17 which erased his only dropped shot of the day on hole 15.
âIt is a great feeling to win again. I kept it together because at the start of the week, I knew I needed to win to get some Official World Golf Ranking points to qualify for the CIMB Classic. Iâm glad I achieved my goal,â said Chia.
The victory will be a huge confidence boost for the Malaysian who heads to the Asia-Pacific Open Diamond Cup next week to resume the second half of the Asian Tour season.
âI played so well on my first six holes. My approach shots landed close to the pin but I missed a couple of putts. Overall, it was a good day and Iâm looking forward to playing on the Asian Tour again next week,â he said.
OâToole started the day two shots back but struggled to put pressure on Chia when he made the turn on even-par before adding three birdies on his way home. Despite the defeat, the American moved to the top of the Order of Merit after a consistent season so far.
âI struggled early in the round but had a good finish. Danny played great and he was tough to catch. It sounds nice to be the new Order of Merit leader but I have a long way to go and want to be leading it when the season ends,â said OâToole.
The ADT will continue to reward the top-five finishers on the Order of Merit at the end of this season with Asian Tour cards for 2016.
With the Olympic Games looming in 2016 where golf will be reintroduced as a medal sport, players in the region could earn their spots in Rio de Janeiro by earning Official World Golf Ranking points through the Asian Tour and ADT.
For more information on the ADT, please visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com
Leading final round scores:Â
267 – Danny CHIA (MAS) 67 66 69 65
273 – Casey O’TOOLE (USA) 68 67 69 69
274 – Sean RIORDAN (NZL) 68 71 70 65
277 – Itthipat BURANATANYARAT (THA) 67 70 69 71
278 – Jordan SHERRATT (AUS) 67 70 72 69, Josh SALAH (USA) 68 70 70 70
279 – Kemarol BAHARIN (MAS) 71 68 71 69
280 – Nitithorn THIPPONG (THA) 68 69 73 70, Masaru TAKAHASHI (JPN) 69 73 68 70, Poom SAKSANSIN (THA) 68 70 69 73
281 – Mitsuhiko HASHIZUME (JPN) 72 69 72 68
282 – Rory HIE (INA) 69 72 70 71
