South Africa’s Shaun Norris won his first Asian Tour title after firing a closing-round four-under 68 to overhaul Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines and claim the weather-truncated Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in New Taipei City yesterday.
Norris battled through windy conditions at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club to edge overnight leader Tabuena (73) by two shots and claim the US$500,000 tournament that was reduced to 54 holes after bad weather on Friday.
“Words can’t describe how I feel with this win. I’ve been playing well as of late and I wanted to win something in Asia, so this is a dream come true,” said the 33-year-old Asian Tour rookie, who battled through qualifying school in January.
Photo: Chao Hsin-tien, Taipei Times
“I always joke with my family and friends that I play better in the worst conditions. I think it makes me concentrate more. I probably focus more,” he said.
Norris picked up five birdies in his opening seven holes to overtake the 20-year-old Filipino and could afford a bogey at the par-five last, following a poor chip, as he sealed victory with a 12-under total of 204.
Tabuena always lurked, but three costly back-nine bogeys meant more heartache in Taiwan after he lost last year’s title in a playoff against Thailand’s Prom Meesawat.
“How many times do I have to finish second? It is frustrating, but I’m still happy with the way I played,” Tabuena said.
“There will be a win for me in the future. I’m still proud of myself,” he said.
Hsu Hao-sheng was the highest-placed Taiwanese in the field after a 69 saw him finish on eight-under 208 in a group tied for third place. Fellow Taiwanese Lu Wen-teh was two shots further back tied for 10th place.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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