Local favorite Chawalit Plaphol claimed the Queen’s Cup yesterday, ending a frustrating five-year Asian Tour drought with a polished final round.
The 36-year-old, who led by one overnight, produced an accomplished three-under-par 68 at the Santiburi Samui Country Club to beat countryman Prayad Marksaeng, who closed with a bogey-free 67, by two shots.
At the other end of the field was Taiwan’s Lin Wen-hong, whose final-round 75 saw him finish at one-over 285.
Photo: AFP
Japan’s Daisuke Marumaya settled for third place, six shots back after a 73, while South Africa’s Peter Karmis eagled the 18th hole for a 70 to take fourth place at the US$300,000 Asian Tour event on the holiday isle of Samui.
“This feels good. I’ve not had a trophy in five years. My last win [the Bangkok Airways Open] was also on this course, so I felt quite confident of winning. I’m happy to have the Queen’s trophy as I have won the King’s Cup before when it was a local event,” said Chawalit, who earned US$47,550 for his third Asian Tour success.
After opening with a bogey on another wind-swept day, Chawalit, who totaled 11-under-par 273, produced some magnificent golf to remain ahead, shooting birdies on the sixth and eighth to keep his one-shot advantage.
The smooth-swinging Thai rolled in a pivotal 15-footer at the 11th, nearly aced the 15th for a birdie and then converted another birdie opportunity from four feet on the 17th to open up a three-shot gap which gave him the luxury of dropping a bogey on the final hole in front of his fans.
Prayad made it a third top-three finish in seven years at the demanding Santiburi Samui after fighting all the way with a blemish-free card highlighted by four birdies.
He turned in 33, but could only produce another birdie on the 15th as his countryman eventually coasted to victory.
Additional reporting by Staff writer
Major League Baseball (MLB) star Shohei Ohtani wants his former interpreter to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of baseball cards he says were fraudulently bought using his money. The Los Angeles Dodgers star is also requesting Ippei Mizuhara, who previously pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud for stealing nearly US$17 million from the unsuspecting athlete, return signed collectible baseball cards depicting Ohtani that were in Mizuhara’s “unauthorized and wrongful possession,” court documents filed on Tuesday said. The legal filing alleges Mizuhara accessed Ohtani’s bank account beginning in about November 2021, changing his security protocols so that he
US skier Mikaela Shiffrin said she sustained an abrasion on her left hip and that something “stabbed” her when she crashed during her second run of an Audi FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom race on Saturday, doing a flip and sliding into the protective fencing. Shiffrin stayed down on the edge of the course for quite some time as the ski patrol attended to her. She was taken off the hill on a sled and waved to the cheering crowd before going to a clinic for evaluation. “Not really too much cause for concern at this point, I just
CLASH OF MANAGERS: Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler and Russell Martin of Southampton accused each other of disrespect, while both were booked Southampton on Friday were denied a priceless victory by a controversial decision as they drew with hosts Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 in the Premier League. Kaoru Mitoma spectacularly headed Brighton into a first-half lead and Flynn Downes hammered home an equalizer an hour in. Minutes later teammate Cameron Archer converted a cross from Saints substitute Ryan Fraser. A video assistant referee check of more than four minutes eventually decided that Archer was onside, but then penalized Adam Armstrong, who was offside, but did not touch the ball, for interfering with goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. “I find it hard to accept,” Southampton manager Russell Martin
Mary McGee, a female racing pioneer and subject profiled in an Oscar-contending documentary, Motorcycle Mary, has died, her family said. She was 87. “McGee’s unparalleled achievements in off-road racing and motorcycle racing have inspired generations of athletes that followed in her footsteps,” her family said in a statement. The family said McGee died of complications from a stroke at her home in Gardnerville, Nevada, on Wednesday, the day before the release of the short documentary Motorcycle Mary, on ESPN’s YouTube channel. Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton was an executive producer on the film, which became available globally on Thursday. Its premiere
RSS