Chris Wood of England poses with the winner’s trophy after winning the Thailand Open at the Suwan golf and country club on the outskirts of Bangkok yesterday. (AFP

AFP/Bangkok
Englishman Chris Wood secured the first win of his professional career yesterday with a two-shot victory in the rain-interrupted $1mn Thailand Open, breaking the hearts of home fans.
Locals had been desperate to see a first Thai champion in eight years, but it was Wood, the 24-year-old European Tour regular competing in a OneAsia Tour event for the first time, who emerged from the hot and soggy conditions.
He fired rounds of 67, 64, 67 and 67 for a 23-under par total of 265 at Suwan Golf & Country Club. Hard-charging Thais Arnond Vongvanij (65) and Wisut Artjanawat (67) battled to catch the strapping 1.96-metre (6 ft 5 inch) Wood, but they had to settle for a share of third place with South Korean Lee Dong-Hwan (67).
Alone in second was Jang Dong-Kyu, also of South Korea, who completed the first nine holes in just 29 shots en route to a closing 63 and the best result of his career.
“It is brilliant—I am really, really pleased,” Wood told OneAsia, after what appeared to be a victory march from the 17th was interrupted by a rain delay of over an hour.
“It is hard winning. I always felt that once I got one win it would give me the confidence to go on and win more, so hopefully I can take this confidence back to the remainder of the tournaments I have got for the season.”
Wood, one of five European Tour regulars competing in the event, was four under after six holes, but gave his rivals a glimmer of hope with a bogey on the eighth.