Sabah Masters Rd 4: What They Said
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, November 24: Read what players have to say following the final round of the Sabah Masters on Sunday.
Pavit Tangkamolprasert (Tha) – Final round 65 (-6), Total 271 (-13)
It’s incredible. I really didn’t expect this. I didn’t even expect to get into a play-off. I finished my round early and I already changed out of my golfing attire and getting ready to go to the airport! Had to change back again when I know I’m in the play-off. It’s really incredible.
But this is golf. You never know what will happen till the last minute. I came close to winning the Thailand Open two weeks ago. I felt more pressure that week since it’s my National Open. But this week, I am more relaxed and I think that helped me a lot.
I hit my irons really well today. Putted well too. Didn’t get off to a good start. I dropped a shot on the third but made a lot of birdies after that to make the play-off. I have been working very hard on my game lately. It’s great to finally win.
Since my first win in Macao, I have had some setbacks, battling with a wrist injury. But it’s all in the past now. In golf, you just got to keep trying. You don’t know when it will come so you need to keep trying.
David Gleeson (Aus) – Final round 68 (-3), Total 271 (-13)
I feel good about the last round, I did everything that I wanted to do. I don’t think I really made any sort of, you know, like a crazy sort of errors it was just all very patient which is just a really good feeling.
I made some good birdies; I missed a few more birdies. You know I’m still not driving the ball great, but this course suits me because I can hit some three-woods and irons.
I just really felt quite good today actually, just within myself, and what shots I was trying to hit I was actually almost getting close to matching what I was seeing and feeling without sort of worrying about nerves. So you know that’s a good sign.
I think my game is better than it was back in the past. It’s more complete than back then. I played at a very high sort of emotional level back then. That’s what I have been working on, just to relax and enjoy the game.
Better pre-shot routines are in place and more routines for the whole week are in place. That’s the goal coming to next year, so let’s keep doing this for, well, until seniors, I guess!
Aman Raj (Ind) – Final round 63 (-8), Total 271 (-13)
Everything felt like was working in my way. Especially the putting part, because you know I’ve been hitting it decent saving my pars, but today was all about everything going in. I started with a chip in on the second hole.
Then again made birdie on the fifth hole and missed on the sixth, made a good par on the sixth actually, then seventh and eighth long putts for birdie. On 10th hole I made birdie from like 10 feet so that was good.
On the 11th I again had a chance from eight feet, but missed that, so I’m like that was a chance to like “go”. On the 13th I made birdie, that’s a good hole to make birdie It is kind of tough. I would say the toughest hole on this golf course. And I’ve been bogeying it like two days I believe. So yeah, there, that was the game changer.
I birdied the 15th and 16th and the 17th was a good two-putt from like 30 feet. On the 18th was again a good chip but for par, I tried for the chip-in but at the same time I had to keep my par safe. So, all in all I’m happy with today’s round.
I have been in an amateur play-off once or twice and, like, to be honest I haven’t won a play-off. It feels good to be in an Asian Tour play-off, I’ve never been in a play-off as a professional, so this is the first time.
Coming to the last I knew that I’m close, but at the same time, you know, I was just like, you know, there are a lot of a lot of people playing right now a lot of holes left, anything can happen. So just try your best, whatever you perform and look for it afterwards.
Phachara Khongwatmai (Tha) – Final round 67 (-4), Total 271 (-13)
I quite work hard today because I had a bad start on the front nine and then good to come back with four birdies in a row. I tried to make a couple more birdies more, but I can’t make it. But it’s okay I’m happy in this position right now.
This morning I’m just thinking like I thought maybe, like three rounds, just play my game. This afternoon, the rain came too late and I have to play 18. Still a good finish. I am happy for my friend Pavit. He deserves the win.
By Olle Nordberg, Former Asian Tour and European Tour professional
The Tournament
The Sabah Masters is a brand-new Asian Tour event held at the Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, and will offer up prize money of US$300,000 of which US$54,000 will be going to the winner.
It is the ninth full-field event of the year and it will be a great chance for many of the non-exempt players in the field this week to go for a win and secure their Asian Tour cards for the 2020 season.
The Course
Sutera Harbour has been used by Asian Tour in the past when it was one of the two courses used for the 2008 Q-School. It is a par-71 course playing to 6,932 yards from this year’s championship tees.
Designed by Australian tour player Graham Marsh who won 70 titles on the Asian Tour, European Tour, Australasian PGA Tour, Japan Tour and PGA Tour in the ’70s and ’80s, it is a flat parkland course right on the Sabah coastline.
From player accounts the greens are quite firm, especially on the back nine, while the surrounding areas are softer. Hitting the fairways should be important this week in order to control the spin into the greens.
When Q-School was held here last time, local hero Ben Leong won his second straight Q-School in front of his local supporters and he certainly has home field advantage this week.
The Contenders
Joohyung Kim
Last week’s winner of the Panasonic Open India has been on a torrid pace all season, and the 17-year-old Kim looks very much like a future world-class player.
Having won the third of his 2019 Asian Development Tour (ADT) titles in October to earn a battlefield promotion to the Asian Tour, the young Korean wasted little time in picking up his first Asian Tour trophy.
After having come down the stretch on Sunday afternoons at both the Thailand Open, where he finished two strokes out of the playoff in tied-sixth, and the Bank BRI Indonesia Open where he finished third, he sealed the deal last week after blitzing the first 10 holes on Sunday by playing them in seven-under-par.
The way he’s playing at the moment there’s no reason to believe that Kim shouldn’t continue this great form this week in Malaysia.
Pavit Tangkamolprasert
The 2016 Macao Open winner has been playing good golf lately, having lost in a playoff at the Thailand Open two weeks ago, and a tied-14th last week in India. He also had a good result at the Bank BRI Indonesia Open where he finished tied-sixth.
On the All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT) Pavit has racked up eight top-10s in 10 outings this season, the last two of those in the weeks leading up to Thailand Open he finished tied-third and tied-second.
Currently 35th on the Order of Merit with over US$90,000 and his card for next year secured, Pavit looks primed to win his second Asian Tour title.
Rashid Khan
With four top-10s in only eight Asian Tour starts and two wins at home on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) this season, Khan has been consistently performing at a high level.
Having lost his card in 2018 after a disappointing season, the two-time Asian Tour winner is now in 24th place on the Order of Merit with over US$117,000 and have secured his status for next year’s Asian Tour season.
With a tied-second at the Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship in September and a third-place finish in Bangladesh earlier in the year as his best results, it would be no surprise to see Khan at the top of the podium this week in Kota Kinabalu.
Panuphol Pittayarat
Starting out the year with a tied-ninth at the SMBC Singapore Open it remains his only top-10 this season, but with over US$106,000 in earnings he is still inside the top-30 on the Order of Merit.
Known as a very solid ball-striker, Panuphol, or Coco as he’s usually known as on Tour, is always a threat when in form, and he played well last week in Japan where he qualified for the final stage of Japan Golf Tour’s Q-School.
Having recently switched over to an all plant-based diet recommended by close friends, the two-time Asian Tour winner says he feels stronger, lighter and more energized than ever. A good sign for this week in Sabah playing in very hot weather conditions.
Kosuke Hamamoto
One of the hottest rookies this season and a player that looks destined to win on the Asian Tour soon, Kosuke has already been close finishing second to Yikeun Chang at the Yeangder TPC in September.
Add a tied-10th at the Bank BRI Indonesia Open the week before Yeangder and it has been a very impressive start to his career for the young Thai.
With over US$93,000 in earnings Kosuke has already secured his playing rights for next season, a win in the near future could be in the cards.
Yikeun Chang
The highest ranked player on the Order of Merit in the field this week, Chang is currently in 11th place with just over US$200,000.
The Korean already has a win this year at the Yeangder TPC in September, and he also finished runner-up the week before that at the Bank BRI Indonesia Open.
After playing his last two events as part of the PGA Tour’s Asian Swing, The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges and WGC-HSBC Champions, he may have picked up some valuable experience playing against super-star fields that can be put to good use this week.
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