Johor Bahru: Australia’s Luke Bleumink stayed cool in scorching conditions to claim his Asian Development Tour breakthrough at the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Johor Masters today.
Battling to a solid round of one-under 71, the 27-year-old Melbournite closed with a total of seven-under-par 281 to finish two strokes ahead of overnight co-leader Hirotaro Naito of Japan, who struggled to a 73 on a difficult scoring day at the Johor Golf & Country Club.
The victory earned Bleumink a winner’s share of RM31,500 in the RM180,000 (approximately US$60,000) event, which was co-sanctioned by the PGM and ADT.
Englishman Grant Jackson (72) took sole possession of third on 284 while Rizal Amin finished as the best local player in tied fourth place with Will Yanagisawa of the United States on a 285 total.
A further stroke back was reigning PGM Order of Merit champion R. Nachimuthu, whose final round 70 was enough to take a share of sixth alongside with Masaki Sakata of Japan and local lad Mohd Hafiy. The leaderboard position saw the 41-year-old reclaim his position at the summit of the burgeoning domestic circuit’s current standings.
A newcomer to Asia, Bleumink was elated on earning his maiden professional victory on Asia’s leading secondary circuit. “Obviously, I’m happy to win my first professional title. It was a pretty solid week for me but I didn’t drive the ball as well as I would like today. My putting pulled my game up and I’m glad I hung in there for the win,” said Bleumink, who turned professional in 2010.
After a flying start with two straight birdies, Bleumink dropped shots on the fifth and eighth before converting a pivotal 12-foot birdie putt on the 10th hole to seal the victory. “That was definitely the turning point for me because it kept me in the game,” he added.
After finishing outside the top-40 of the Asian Tour Qualifying School earlier this year, Bleumink is now determined to earn his 2013 Tour card by finishing in the top three of the ADT Order of Merit at the end of the season. “Well the goal now is to keep winning,” he smiled. “This win sets me up nicely for the year ahead. It also shows that I can play well under pressure and the experience will be important for the rest of the season.”
For Rizal, the top-five finish was a major confidence-booster as he attempts to become a household name in the local circuit. “It’s a great result for me considering that I didn’t have much time to recover after finishing the event (PGM Clearwater Classic) last week. I had a shaky start with a opening round 74 but I managed to get in under control and I am very pleased with the way I played this week,” said the 28-year-old.
Leading final round scores
281 – Luke Bleumink (Aus) 70-72-68-71
283 – Hirotaro Naito (Jpn) 75-69-66-73
284 – Grant Jackson (Eng) 71-69-72-72
285 – Rizal Amin (Mas) 74-71-69-71, Will Yanagisawa (USA) 73-70-69-73
286 – R. Nachimuthu (Mas) 71-71-74-70, Masaki Sakata (Jpn) 70-72-74-70, Mohd Hafiy (Mas) 73-72-70-71
287 – WANG Tsung-chieh (Tpe) 72-68-75-72, Rattanon Wannasrichan (Tha) 72-76-67-72, Senroku Isa (Jpn) 73-69-73-72, Rick Gibson (Can) 75-71-69-72
288 – Charles Hong (Phi) 72-71-72-73, Park Jin-Woo (Kor) 74-73-68-73, Huang Tao (Tpe) 67-72-73-76
289 – Michael Bibat (Phi) 70-72-74-73
290 – Peter Richardson (Eng) 72-72-75-71
