Angelo Que of the Philippines claimed a thrilling playoff victory over England’s Chris Rodgers at the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters for his third Asian Tour title yesterday.
The 31-year-old Que outlasted a battling Rodgers with a par at the first extra hole after both players finished tied on six-under 278 in regulation play at the Seri Selangor Golf Club.
Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant finished third, one shot out of the playoff, after a 68 that included a costly double-bogey on his last hole, while Australians Scott Barr and Brad Smith shared fourth place with Filipino Juvic Pagunsan on 280.
Taking a one-shot lead into the final round, Que, whose last victory was at the 2008 Philippine Open, carded a 70 in the final round and was caught by playing partner Rodgers, who closed with a 69, but the Englishman was forced to settle for his fourth runner-up finish in Asia after making mistakes in the playoff to allow Que to snatch victory.
“It feels great. First time I won was in 2004 and then I waited for four years for my second win. Now I’ve just waited for two years for my third. It’s good and a great feeling. Hopefully, I’ll keep winning and I won’t stop,” Que said. “Three is a charm. Winning a third time tells you that you can really do it no matter what. You just need to have the right mind set and believe in yourself that you can do it.”
Rodgers, who was searching for a second victory after his 2006 Pakistan Open victory, took the defeat in his stride.
“Finishing second is never fun. It was neck-and-neck and it was done in good spirit and good fun. We were battling away in a good way as we’ve known each other for a long time. It is a good tournament for me, but a disappointing finish,” Rodgers said.
Thaworn, bidding for a record-equaling 12th Asian Tour victory, charged up the leaderboard with five birdies, including four in a row on his back nine, but stumbled badly with several poor shots, including one that landed in the hazard on 18.
“I hit it too much right with the driver and then found it difficult from there on. I’ve always said that this course was a tough one,” the Thai veteran said.
Of the Taiwanese contenders, Chan Yih-shin finished in the highest position on the leaderboard when his 76 left him in tied 32nd place on four-over.
Lin Wen-hung was a further shot back on five-over after a 71, while Lin Chie-hsiang’s 74 gave him a nine-over total. Bringing up the rear was Sung Mao-chang, who carded a 73 for an 11-over total.
Airil Rizman finished as the leading Malaysian in tied 14th place after closing with a 74 for a 284 total.
Additional reporting by Staff Writer
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