Thai hotshot Pavit Tangkamolprasert bounced back from a wrist injury after closing with a three-under-par 69 to claim a record sixth Asian Development Tour (ADT) title at the Betagro Championship on Sunday.
The 29-year-old Pavit, who held a three-shot advantage heading into the final round thanks to a sparkling third round 62, traded six birdies against three bogeys to win by one shot with a 19-under-par 269 total at the Suwan Golf and Country Club.
With this victory which also marks his first on home soil, Pavit now holds the most number of wins on the ADT, which was inaugurated as a gateway to the Asian Tour in 2010. He had shared the record with Chan Shih-chang after claiming his fifth title in Chinese Taipei in 2016.
Thailand’s Thitiphun Chuayprakong, playing in his first tournament following an eight-month injury-layoff, was hot on Pavit’s heels, firing five birdies against a bogey in his opening 11 holes before nailing an eagle-birdie from 14 to tie the lead.
Two bogeys in his closing three holes, however, saw Thitiphun settle for a 67 to share second place with countryman Sattaya Supupramai, who carded a solid 65, at the ?3,000,000 (approx. US$96,000) event.
“It feels incredible, I didn’t have any expectations this week because I was just looking forward to coming back to compete and playing with my friends on home ground. I think that’s why I did well because I didn’t think about winning. It is just a bonus that I can set a new record on the ADT,” said Pavit, the 2014 ADT Order of Merit champion.
Pavit, who injured his right wrist after hitting an errant shot at the Asian Tour’s Panasonic Open Golf Championship in Japan last month, was forced to stay away from competitive golf prior to this week. He attempted to tee up at the Asian Tour’s Maekyung Open in Korea earlier this month but withdrew from the tournament during the second round.
“I made a couple of small mistakes here and there today. I knew Thitiphun was catching up when I was on the 12th hole. That was the turning point for me as it got me determined to finish strong. I had a two-shot lead coming to the last hole so I knew I didn’t have to try too hard,” added Pavit.
Pavit will take home a winner’s purse of US$14,100 and receive a total of seven Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, thanks to his victory. The top-six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.
Pavit, who turned professional in 2007, is a proud graduate of the ADT, a platform where he had honed his skills in the early stage of his career before working his way up to the Asian Tour.
He claimed his ADT breakthrough at the 2013 season-ending event in Indonesia and secured three victories in 2014 to become only the second player following Chan to win three titles in a single season.
Thitiphun, 25, admitted his disappointment for missing out on the victory but kept his head up as he takes away the positives from this week which will give him a lot of confidence when he returns to compete on the premier Asian Tour.
“I hit a bad tee shot with my three-wood on the last hole which left my ball plucked in the fairway bunker. Other than that last hole, I played well all day and I am just happy to be competing again. I hope to bring over this good form to the next couple of tournaments in Thailand that I will play on the Asian Tour,” said Thitiphun, a one-time Asian Tour winner in 2016.
Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond signed for a 67 to settle three shots back of Pavit in fourth place with Qualifying School graduate Kevin Lee of Korea, who posted a commendable 65. Order of Merit leader Nitithorn Thippong battled to a 74 to finish in tied-46th position.
The Betagro Championship, which is jointly sanctioned by the All Thailand Golf Tour and the ADT, is the ninth leg of the ADT’s 2018 schedule.
The leading five players on the ADT Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn playing rights on the Asian Tour for the 2019 season.
Leading round four scores:
269 – Pavit TANGKAMOLPRASERT (THA) 71 67 62 69
270 – Sattaya SUPUPRAMAI (THA) 70 66 69 65, Thitiphun CHUAYPRAKONG (THA) 69 65 69 67
272 – Kevin LEE (KOR) 71 65 71 65, Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) 65 68 72 67
273 – Kazuki HIGA (JPN) 68 68 72 65, Nattawat SUVAJANAKORN (THA) 67 70 67 69
274 – Miguel CARBALLO (ARG) 65 69 73 67, Javier GALLEGOS (ESP) 69 69 67 69
275 – Chinnarat PHADUNGSIL (THA) 67 67 75 66, Sadom KAEWKANJANA (A) (THA) 69 66 70 70, Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 69 67 69 70, Tirawat KAEWSIRIBANDIT (THA) 72 68 65 70, Sarit SUWANNARUT (THA) 69 70 66 70, Tawan PHONGPHUN (THA) 70 66 67 72
Full results and OoM here
