Wood claims maiden win at Thailand Open

The 24-year-old European Tour regular, competing in a OneAsia Tour event for the first time,– fired rounds of 67, 64, 67 and 67 for a 23-under par total of 265, although preferred lies were allowed because of soggy conditions at the 7,077-yard Suwan Golf & Country Club.

Hard-charging Thais Arnond Vongvanij (65) and Wisut Artjanawat (67) battled to catch the strapping 1.96-metre Wood, but had to settle for a share of third place with Korean Lee Dong-hwan (67). Alone in second was Jang Dong-kyu, also of Korea, who completed the first nine holes in just 29 shots en-route to a closing 63 and the best result of his career.

“It is brilliant – I am really, really pleased,”  Wood said, after what appeared to be a victory march from the 17th was interrupted by a rain delay of over an hour.

“It is hard winning. I always felt that once I got one win, it would give me the confidence to go on and win more, so hopefully I can take this confidence back to the remainder of the tournaments I have got for the season.”

Wood, one of five European Tour regulars competing in event, was four under after six holes yesterday, but gave his rivals a glimmer of hope with a bogey on the eighth.

At the 11th, however, he put one hand on the winner’s cheque of over US$181,000 with a birdie putt of around 30 feet – and then effectively pocketed it with an even longer effort on 15. “It was a tough putt, but I putted really nicely this week,” he said.

“I think I have turned the corner in my putting which has let me down all season. I have been playing as well as I have done this week but without converting chances. It is nice to convert a few. I always knew once I cracked the putting I would be winning and this week proved my point.”

Thailand has not produced a home winner of the National Open since Boonchu Ruangkit won his second in 2004, and the only other local winner of the event, Suthep Meesawat (1991), was at the course yesterday to watch his son, Prom, try to emulate that feat.