Port Dickson [NEGERI SEMBILAN]: Canadian Ryan Yip pulled off a sensational upset when he fired a brilliant closing eight-under 63 to capture the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Port Dickson Championship on Saturday.
Yip, who began the final rounds five strokes back, made up the deficit through five holes with two birdies and an eagle before going to trade four further birdies with a sole bogey to finish on 20-under-par 264 at the RM200,000 Asian Development Tour (ADT) co-sanctioned event.
Local hope Khor Kheng Hwai made a determined title charge with a 63 of his own, fashioning a card of nine birdies and a sole bogey to finish just one stroke short at the Port Dickson Golf & Country Club.
It was back to the drawing board for overnight leader Arie, who will have to wait a little longer for his maiden professional title as he faded a meagre one-over 72 to settle for sole third on 268.
Thailand’s Tirawat Kaewsiribandit was a further shot back in fourth with Australian duo Jordan Sherratt and Sam Brazel taking a share of fifth on 273.
A two-time winner on the PGA Tour Canada, Yip was delighted to have accomplished his goal with an amazing finish on the back of a good display all week.
“I woke up feeling confident that I can have another go in chasing for the win. I had been playing well all week and today, I just managed to put it all together in a round. I hit my wedges really well and drained a good share of my puts. I had an inkling that eight-under will just be enough and it proved to be right,” said the 29-year-old Calgary native.
“I started off really hot and I believe that put the pressure on Arie. I was starting to get carried away a little but missed a short par effort on the seventh, which got me to re-focus on the task in hand. It was an important wake-up call as Khor was matching me all the way till the end.
“But I am really pleased to have accomplished what I set out to do and gained a lot of confidence this week, which sets me up nicely for the rest of the year,” said Yip, who has enjoyed a relatively good season playing in his rookie year on the Asian Tour.
Despite missing out on his maiden win by a mere shot, Khor soaked in the positives as he posted his career’s low round and another runner-up finish on fast-growing domestic circuit.
“My putter worked wonders today. I putted really well today, in fact for all four rounds this week. I gave myself a chance with a birdie on 17th but pulled my approach on the last needing a birdie to force a play-off. I have nothing to lose despite missing out on the win,” said the 29-year-old.
Meanwhile 54-hole leader Arie was rattled by his fast-charging rivals, reeling in nine straight pars only to hit his drive out-of-bounds on the 10th hole, which resulted in a triple bogey. He dropped a shot on the 13th hole but recovered with three birdies in his last five holes.
“I failed to get into the rhythm out there. I tried to not think about how the other two guys are playing. I told myself to stay calm and positive out there and keep doing what I do best but Ryan (Yip) and Khor were really charging up the leaderboard,” said the 24-year-old.
“I am disappointed but it was a good experience. It’s my first time leading into the final round and I kind of know how different it feels between being in the lead and being in contention now. I’m still happy to finish in top-three. I believe my chance will come if I keep up with how I’ve been doing,” added Arie.
Leading final round scores (Malaysian unless stated) >
264 – Ryan Yip (CAN) 69-67-65-63
265 – Khor Kheng Hwai 69-67-66-63
268 – Arie Irawan 65-66-65-72
269 – Tirawat Kaewsiribandit (THA) 68-69-67-65
273 – Jordan Sherratt (AUS) 68-72-67-66, Sam Brazel (AUS) 68-67-69-69
274 – Guy Woodman (ENG) 69-69-67-69, Brett Munson (USA) 67-66-70-71
275 – Airil Rizman Zahari 70-67-72-66, Alex Kang (USA) 67-70-71-67
