Cool Hend crowned Classic CHAMP Australian breaks Piya’s heart with Onestroke victory

The 43yearold from Queensland made up for his heartbreaking loss to countryman Andrew Dodt by a stroke last year by shooting a solid 68 with five birdies against a lone bogey for 18under 270 to ensure that the title goes to an Australian yet again.

 

“After last year’s disappointing fin¬ish and to get back into the winner’s circle in Europe and to stay in the winner’s circle in Asia, is extremely important to me and I’m very proud to win this title,” said Hend, who won the winner’s cheque of US$291,600.

 

The Australian always came up with some extraordinary perform¬ances in the Kingdom as one of his eight Asian Tour victories happened here at the 2013 Chiangmai Classic. “For Piya to shoot 63 today was an amazing round of golf and he must have played extremely well all day. He set the score and the target and then I had to just try and keep mak¬ing birdies to try and catch him. I learned from last year when I pushed too hard on the 17th and lost my chance to win. So this year I knew I had to be patient and let the golf course come to me,” said Hend, who last won an European Tour title in the Hong Kong Open in 2014.

 

 Thirty-two-year old Piya set the course record of 63, which consisted of seven birdies and an eagle on the 10th hole for joint clubhouse lead with 17under, with Scott having four more holes to play.

 

 As the Ubonratchathani resident anxiously hung around the clubhouse area, hoping for a playoff, Hend holed a crucial threefoot birdie putt to surge ahead by a shot, effectively sending a signal that the hope of a Thai winner has evaporated.

 

“Despite the way it ended, I am still very happy. I did not expect to play so well, especially in the final round. I was sick coming into this tourna¬ment and didn’t play well in the first three rounds but today everything went so smoothly,” said Piya after registering the best result of his career.

 

The Thai had no remorse to have missed out on a full twoyear card on the European Tour with an improbable win. “I am not ready for the European Tour yet. My plan is to play the Japan Tour and win a title,” said Piya, who received the biggest prize money of his career, a US$194,440 cheque as a consolation. Surprisingly, the Thai didn’t even make the top 50 in his two previous events in the Singapore Open and the Bangladesh Open this year.

 

“The shot on 17 obviously was crucial. If you hit a good tee shot, you have a chance to go one in front,” Scott said.

Three strokes off the lead was Belgian young gun Thomas Pieters, who fired four birdies, an eagle and two bogeys for a 68 and 15under 273.

 

“If you had told me at the beginning of the week that I would  finish third here then I would have taken it because I was very sick at the start of the week. It’s a good result and I can take some positives into next week but I have a long journey, to go back to America and to get to Bay Hill,” said the world No 33.

 

Three big Thai  names Thongchai Jaidee, Prayad Marksaeng and Prom Meesawat, all shared tied 14th place after each fired 9under 279.

Prayad sank a bogey free 66 for his best score of the week after failing to live up to the home crowd expecta¬tions for three days.

 

“I teed off in the morning so it was¬n’t windy. I hit the iron and the wood well while my irons let me down in the first three rounds. I think I am a bit chubby now so my swing rotation was not smooth,” said the Thai, who wants to play more on the Japan Tour this year.

 

The Kingdom’s ace Thongchai had a poor day by his standards, shooting two birdies against one bogey to settle with a 71. “I didn’t putt well all week on a course that you have to putt with precision to win. But finishing nine under was not so bad as I’m not 100 per cent physically. This was not my week,” said Thongchai, whose main goal this year is to represent Thailand in the Olympics.

 

Fourthround scores:

270  Scott Hend (Aus) 68647068.

271  Piya Swangarunporn (Tha) 68687263.

273  Thomas Pieters (Bel) 73666668.

274  Peter Uihlein (Usa) 64716970.

275  Pelle Edberg (Swe) 65677370.

276  Joost Luiten (Ned) 70687068.

277  Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 73686967, Simon Yates (Sco) 67687270, Benjamin Hebert (Fra) 72647071.

278  Robert Dinwiddie (Eng) 67717169, Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel) 73667069, Gregory Havret (Fra) 69707069, Shaun Norris (Rsa) 67687172.

279  Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 67737366, Lucas Bjerregaard (Den) 71706969, Joakim Lagergren (Swe) 68717070, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 69697071, Prom Meesawat (Tha) 68706972.