Kuala Lumpur: Guido Van Der Valk capped a sensational return of form by ending a seven-year winless run with a marvellous  seven-shot victory at the PGM-MIDF-KLGCC Classic.

The 31-year-old comfortably held on to his overnight seven-shot cushion at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club’s West Course, signing off with a closing one-over-par 73 to complete a wire-to-wire victory in the RM200,000 (approximately US$66,000) tournament organised by the Professional Golf of Malaysia with support from the Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Berhad.

Filipino Gerald Rosales failed to mount a challenge as he settled for second place in what was the eighth and final leg of the 2011 ADT season, closing with a 73.

With three Asian Tour cards at stake for the top-three finishers of the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit, American Jonathan Moore comfortably finished top of the rankings with US$29, 579 after coming in fourth here.

Chinese Taipei’s Chiang Chen-chih took second place with a season haul of US$23,341 but countryman Kao Shang-hung had to endure a nervous wait before sealing third spot with US$19,874 when closest rival Takafumi Kawane of Japan failed to secure the top-four finish required to pip Kao for a priceless Asian Tour card.

Van Der Valk was clearly elated with what was his career fifth title but his first since winning the Dutch PGA Championship in 2004. He accumulated a four-day total of seven-under-par 281.

“It’s been a good week. Today was a struggle as I didn’t hit the balls that well off the tees but I managed to get the job done and that’s the most important thing. My overnight lead made it that much easier and I just had to be careful of not falling into the trap of thinking that you’re in the lead and you’re done. ” said the Manila-based player, who made up for his early bogeys with a good run mid-round display to earn US$10,594 for his victory.

The Dutchman was all praise to his manager, who was instrumental in getting the groove back into his game. “(This victory) is a massive push for me after having such a bad year. Until the ISPS Handa Singapore Classic a fortnight ago, I was just frustrated with how I wasn’t able to replicate my low scores during a tournament week. He (Patrick Feizal Joyce) convinced me to come and play in Singapore and he told me to just go out and enjoy my golf and what a great three weeks I have had,”  added the Dutchman, who was involved in the five-way playoff at Orchid Country Club before settling for tied second at the US$300,000 Asian Tour event.

Rosales got the lead down to four shots after the sixth hole but never got closer than that. “Guido didn’t start good but when he birdied the seventh and eighth holes, it settled him down. He did what he had to do,” said the Filipino.

Moore, a former US Walker Cup player and competing in his debut season in Asia, was delighted to top the rankings in a season which included one victory in Malaysia and four other top-four performances. “This is unexpected. I’m thankful as over a year ago, I started a new plan with some new coaches and things started to click. I’ve played well in the ADT events and it is awesome,” said the American.

“When I first got to Qualifying School in Thailand in January, I was nervous coming out of the airport and the quality of competition has been strong here. I’m thankful that my wife Claire caddied all year for me as it’s really hard work to carry that bag in this heat.”

Kao, winner of the Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship last month, was a relieved man as he maintained his third position on the Merit list to earn his Asian Tour card for 2012. “I’m happy. I was quite relaxed this morning as I felt that I would get in but the wait (to find out if he was through) was quite long,” he said.

“Competing on the ADT this season has been good as I gained more competitive experience. I’m going to give the Asian Tour another shot next year,” said Kao.

The best Malaysian finisher in the PGM-MIDF-KLGCC Classic was Nicholas Fung, who was fifth after a closing 77 for a 296 total while the top amateur was Kenneth De Silva, who finished with 10-over total. De Silva was pleased with his performance and was raring to do well in the Asian Amateur Championship in Singapore later this week.

Leading final scores
281: Guido VAN DER VALK (Hol) 71-70-67-73
288: Gerald ROSALES (Phi) 74-70-71-73
289: Yosuke TSUKADA (Jpn) 72-75-70-72
293: Jonathan MOORE (USA) 74-72-73-74
296:  Nicholas FUNG (Mas) 71-74-74-77
297: Marlon DIZON (Phi) 73-73-79-72
299: T.J. KIM (Kor) 76-76-74-73, R. Nachimuthu (Mas) 75-73-74-77
300: S. Murthy (Mas) 75-73-80-72, M. Sasidaran (Mas) 76-76-73-75, Pawin INGKHAPRADIT (Tha)77-70-76-77, S. Siva Chandhran (Mas) 77-73-72-78