Andrew Pitts of the US won a rain-affected Acer Taiwan Open after tournament officials called off the final round because of the poor conditions.
Just one hole was played yesterday as the final trio of golfers from the previous day's third round teed-up for the 18th hole this morning.
The three players, Pitts, Ted Oh and Daniel Chopra sat patiently as their tee-off time was delayed for two hours from 7:30am.
PHOTO: AFP
Andrew Pitts putted to his final par on the 18th and that was the end of the tournament.
He finished with a 6-stroke lead and a 19-under total.
The victory was especially sweet for the American as he overcame a streak of second place finishes on the Davidoff Tour, beginning with the Macau Open in both 1999 and 2000, and finally, last year's second place finish in Taiwan's Ericsson Open.
Commenting on his victory an enthusiastic Pitts told a large audience, "There aren't too many people who wanted to win a tournament more than I did. I've played well in the past but unfortunately somebody else just played a little better.
"This week I answered a lot of questions and I know I am capable of winning."
The winner of the NT$10.3 million (US$300,000) event picked up a check for US$50,000 and added, "I am absolutely thrilled. Like I said earlier this week, I struggled in Japan this year so I went home last month and took a lesson from my teacher Kelly Philips in Greensboro, North Carolina, and he got me on the right track.
"I also switched putters this week which also helped. The combination of the lesson, the putter and a lot of hard work meant it all started to pay off just a little bit."
Rounding out the field was Singapore's Mardan Mamat who came off a fantastic third round 67 to earn second place, and Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee, India's Arjun Atwal, and American Aaron Meeks, who tied for fourth with an 11-under performance.
The biggest shock of the day, however, was when Davidoff Tour Order of Merit leader, Charlie Wi hooked a tee shot out of bounds this morning and ended up with a double bogey on the final hole of his third round.
That was enough to push him down to a joint 13th place finish.
According to Asian PGA officials, a tournament need not be four rounds of competitive play or 72-holes but can be as few as two full rounds, or 36-holes.
A tour official said "a full round of the tournament has to continue if 50% of the players have already completed the round."
Surprisingly, this is only the second time in the history of the Asian PGA-run Davidoff Tour that a tournament has been reduced to 54 holes: the last occurrence being the 1997 Guam Open, which was ravaged by a typhoon.
The Davidoff Tour will remain in Taiwan next weekend as it moves to the Mercuries Masters Tournament, at the Tamshui Golf and Country Club, from Sept. 6 to 9.
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He
RSS