Batu Gajah, Perak; June 23: Danny Chia carded a sterling final round of six-under-par 66 en route to a four-shot victory over Md Rashid Ismail at the RM150,000 Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Clearwater Classic today.

The 38-year-old totalled 16-under-par 276 to claim his second win on the burgeoning PGM Tour since winning the season-opening Impian Masters in December last year.

After struggling with a series of injuries and a dip in confidence since the start of the year, Chia celebrated his return of form in style, draining seven birdies – including three consecutive ones from hole 12 against a sole bogey on the ninth, to claim the champion’s purse of RM26,250 at Clearwater Sanctuary Golf Resort.

Despite still feeling the effects of a bad cold, Rashid emerged a strong second on twelve-under-par while PGM Order of Merit leader M.Sasidaran continued his winless run with another third place finish on 279, notwithstanding a four-under 68 today.

A closing even-par 72 saw Shaifubari Muda finish fourth while Redzuan Kamaruddin and early leader Shaaban Hussin took a share of fifth on six-under 282.

Chia was visibly delighted at capturing his first title of the year. “I’m very pleased with this win. I haven’t been at my best this year due to the niggling injuries I have suffered, so I’m really glad for this comeback,” said Chia, who enjoyed a two-shot advantage at the start of the final round.

“I was very happy with the way I drove the ball this week with my new driver – it really worked well for me. As I mentioned earlier this week, this is a very strong course and certain holes demand your tee-off to be spot on, so I was delighted with the way the week turned up.

Three straight birdies on the back nine saw him pull through for the win.”It kept my momentum going after the brief hiccup on the ninth (when I dropped a bogey). I was very fortunate with a couple of successful short birdies today as the tricky greens have not really rewarded me throughout the tournament.

“Today was a combination good putting and my focus – I told myself after yesterday’s round about how important it was for me to convert the lead into a win. It’s a very important win for me in terms of gaining my confidence as well as believing in my ability to win again,” added Chia.

“The two-shot cushion didn’t influence my gameplan as I took a more aggressive approach in the final round and it turned out very well.”

Rashid rued his lack of fitness for his inability to match Chia’s relentless pace. “I was only about 80% fit for three-quarters of the tournament, so I couldn’t charge as much as I wanted today. I gave it my best but endured a poor start again today as I continued to struggle with  my driving, so I’m satisfied with my second place finish,” explained Rashid.

A third straight top-three finish on the local scene was little consolation for Sasidaran, who continues to search for his victory in 2011. “I’ve been unlucky this year despite being one of the more consistent players on the Tour. The local circuit is definitely getting stronger and the penalty for the little mistakes you make early one is grave, so I’m going to take a short break to regroup my thoughts and come back fresher and stronger,” promised the 35-year-old.

The Clearwater Classic was the ninth stop in the PGM Tour’s nationwide trail. The Tour’s next stop is at Johor Country Club from July 11-14.

Leading final scores

272 Danny Chia (69-68-69-66)
276 Md Rashid Ismail (66-73-69-68)
279 M.Sasidaran (72-67-72-68)
281 Shaifubari Muda (70-66-73-72)
282 Redzuan Kamaruddin (70-72-69-71), Shaaban Hussin (66-66-78-72)
283 Haziq Hamizan (71-72-73-67), Mohd Rizal Amin (72-71-69-71), Airil Rizman Zahari (74-70-66-73)
284 Anis Helmi Hassan (70-73-69-72)