Sabah (Malaysia), Sep 7 (IANS): Chan Shih-chang of Chinese Taipei claimed a dramatic victory at the PGM-UMW Sabah Classic defeating James Bowen of the United States on the third extra hole Saturday.
Chan, who closed with the day’s lowest score of five-under-par 67, went the distance with Bowen after both of them tied on seven-under-par 281 in regulation play at the $60,000 Asian Development Tour (ADT) event, said a press release.
Bowen bowed out from the third play-off and settled for second while Singapore’s Mitchell Slorach finished third with a closing 69 to mark his best finish on the ADT this season at the Sabah Golf and Country Club here.
Malaysia's highest-ranked golfer Nicholas Fung took fourth after signing for a 71 while compatriot Airil Rizman and Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert shared fifth on matching 284s after rounds of 69 and 71, respectively.
Overnight leader Canadian Lindsay Renolds posted a disappointing 80 to end his campaign in tied 18th.
Chan, who has been struggling since the start of the season, was delighted with his maiden ADT win which will serve as a timely confidence boost when he returns to play on the Asian Tour next week.
“It’s my very first win on the ADT. I’m really happy. I’ve not been playing well since the start of the year. This win really boosted my confidence and I can’t wait to play on the Asian Tour in Chinese Taipei next week,” said Chan, who returned with a flawless round highlighted by five birdies.
The 27-year-old took home $9,400 and moved to eighth position on the ADT Order of Merit. He also earned six Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.
Bowen narrowly missed out on claiming a third ADT victory this season but was glad to dislodge Malaysia’s Iain Steel at the top of the Order of Merit and leads with a season’s haul of $37,545 while Steel and Fung take second and third place, respectively.
The top three players on the Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn Asian Tour cards for the following year.
Leaderboard:
281 - Chan Shih-chang 72-70-72-67, James Bowen 71-74-66-70
282 - Mitchell Slorach 75-70-68-69
283 - Nicholas Fung 70-70-72-71
284 - Airil Rizman Zahari 71-74-70-69, Pavit Tangkamolprasert 74-68-71-71
285 - Shaaban Hussin 67-73-77-68, Jakraphan Premsirigorn 72-70-73-70, Steve Lewton 75-69-71-70, M. Sasidaran 69-72-71-73, Wolmer Murillo 71-71-70-73
286 - Michael Tran 74-72-68-72