AFP/Kuala Lumpur
Justin Thomas birdied four of his last six holes to hold off a spirited charge by Adam Scott and earn his maiden PGA Tour victory yesterday at the CIMB Classic. Thomas’ six-under-par 66 left him at 26-under for the tournament, one stroke better than former Masters winner Scott, who nearly snagged a come-from-behind victory with a superb 63. Thomas, who led after the second and third rounds, nearly threw it all away down the stretch when he chunked a shot into the water on the 14th hole for a double bogey.
The American rallied to birdie the next three holes and went on to clinch the win, $1.26 million in prize money, and 500 FedEx Cup points. Americans Brendan Steele and Kevin Na tied for third at 24-under after respective rounds of 68 and 67. Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama finished in sole fifth place, two strokes further back. India’s Anirban Lahiri took a big step towards wrapping up the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit crown after finishing tied 21st finish here. With his closest rivals Scott Hend and Andrew Dodt, both from Australia, finishing below him at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, the 28-year-old Lahiri extended his lead over second-ranked Hend to US$647,453.
Dubuisson clinches second Turkish title
Victor Dubuisson won his second Turkish Airlines Open title in three years yesterday, shooting a final round six-under par 66 and denying Jaco van Zyl with a birdie on the final hole in the $7 million tournament.
The Frenchman started off in bright fashion, making a birdie in three of his first four holes, but was always playing catch-up after that when he made a double bogey five on the par-3 fifth hole, followed by a bogey on the seventh.
Despite making a birdie on the ninth, the 25-year-old trailed South African van Zyl and Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, the two other players playing alongside him in the leading group.
But van Zyl (67) and Aphibarnrat (67) both slowed down on the back nine, while Dubuisson reignited his round with a chipped-in eagle on the par-5 11th hole, and then made three birdies in his last four to finish with a 22-under par total of 266.
World No. 3 Rory McIlroy's one-under par 71 round was good only for a tied sixth place at 16-under par 272 with American Peter Uihlein (68). Dubuisson is expected to move into the top-35 of the world ranking from his current 69 .
Kim birdie secures Blue Bay LPGA victory
South Korea’s Kim Sei-Young sank a seven-foot birdie putt to win the Blue Bay LPGA tournament on China’s Hainan Island. The 22-year old shot 70 to finish on two-under-par 286. That score put her one shot clear of Stacy Lewis of the US, Taiwanese Candie Kung and Kim Kaufman, who tied for second place.
