Bangi [SELANGOR]: Rookie Gavin Kyle Green tasted success for the first time on the professional ranks after claiming the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Danau Championship II on Saturday.
The 21-year-old made amends for his slip-up at the Northport Glenmarie Championship in August where he blew a five-shot lead on the last day to clinch his second win on the flourishing domestic circuit.
A flawless five-under 67 gave Green a 12-under-par 276 total at the Danau Golf Club to secure a convincing four-stroke winning margin over Shaaban Hussin.
Shaaban, who started the day a stroke adrift of Green, settled for second after returning with a 70 while two-time Order of Merit winner Nicholas Fung (68) was a further shot back on 281.
Green, who famously won the PGM Vascory Templer Park Championship as an amateur last year, said: “It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but I’m happy to have pulled it off.”
“I started positively today and was four-under after the first nine holes. I knew then that I just had to play steady over the back nine and it would probably have been enough to give me the title. That is exactly what I did, with a birdie at the par-five 12th hole.”
The highly-rated Green birdied the second and the sixth before before coming up with an eagle at the ninth to make the turn on 32.
“This is a great confidence booster,” added the former University of New Mexico stand-out, who will travel to Spain in a fortnight to continue his bid for playing rights on European Tour.
“I have been struggling a little over the last few months,” he said. “But I have continued to work at my game and this week it all came together. I hit the ball solidly and my short-game and putting were good as well, which was really what I needed,” he noted.
Leading final results >
276 – Gavin Kyle Green 74-67-68-67
280 – Shaaban Hussin 71-69-70-70
281 – Nicholas Fung 72-69-72-68
285 – Mohd Rizal Amin 75-75-66-69
286 – Nachimuthu Ramasamy 68-71-73-74
287 – Airil Rizman Zahari 70-73-76-68, Sukree Othman 72-71-72-72
291 – Muhd Alwarith Damian 71-68-76-76, Jeremiah Kim Leun Kwang 73-75-67-76
292 – Lam Yu Shuen 71-72-76-73, Hans Jamil 75-71-77-69
