Subang: R. Nachimuthu ended his season on a high after bagging the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Maybank Tour Players Championship on Saturday.
The 42-year-old claimed victory in the RM350,000 season-ending championship for the second time in three years to all but maintain his second placing on the Order of Merit behind runaway champion Nicholas Fung.
On a tough scoring day at Saujana Golf & Country Club, a round of two-over 74 proved enough for the Tour veteran to grind out a two-shot victory over Airil Rizman Zahari (72) with an eight-under 280 overall.
Ben Leong (71) completed a successful return from a long injury lay-off, finishing in a tie for third on 286 alongside Sukree Othman (76) with halfway leader Hans Jamil a further stroke adrift in fourth.
Dubbed “Mr. Consistent” for his steady string of top-ten finishes on the burgeoning domestic circuit, Nachimuthu was nonetheless glad to end a win-less streak that stretches back to April 2012 when he won the PGM Sabah Classic.
“I’ve come close on many occasions over the last few months but my putting has led me down during the final rounds. I am really happy to put that behind me and to end the season with a victory gives me much needed confidence for next year,” he noted.
“I didn’t get going today but my flightmates were also finding it tough and I had a four-shot cushion to start with, so I played conservatively and just preserved my advantage,” added Nachimuthu, who had a card of four bogeys against two birdies to show.
The victory also secured Nachimuthu a start at the Maybank Malaysian Open next year – a challenge which the seasoned campaigner is looking forward to. “You always want to play in your national Open – that’s a highlight for any Malaysian professional and I like to thank Maybank for the opportunity.”
The 2014 season will tee-off with the I&P Champion of Champions tournament at Templer Park Country Club from January 13-16.
Leading final round scores:
280 – R. Nachimuthu 68-72-66-74
282 – Airil Rizman Zahari 73-67-70-72
286 – Sukree Othman 69-71-70-76, Ben Leong 72-71-72-71
287 – Hans Jamil 68-70-75-74
288 – Md Rashid Ismail 70-77-69-72
289 – Rahizam Ramli 79-68-70-72
291 – S. Sivachandhran 75-73-73-70
292 – Shaifubari Muda 75-75-67-75
293 – Arie Fauzi 78-76-68-71, Muhammad Rusli Johari 68-76-74-75
