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Mardan wins Manila Masters

MANILA — Mardan Mamat ended a two-year drought by romping to a six-shot victory in the US$1 million (S$1.3 million) Resorts World Manila Masters, a result which also earned him a two-year exemption on the Asian Tour.

MANILA — Mardan Mamat ended a two-year drought by romping to a six-shot victory in the US$1 million (S$1.3 million) Resorts World Manila Masters, a result which also earned him a two-year exemption on the Asian Tour.

Entering the week in 74th place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and in danger of losing his card, Mardan opened with a round of 65 on a windy Thursday for a share of the lead and never lost his place at the top of the leaderboard after that.

He strung subsequent rounds of 68 and 66 at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club, and entered yesterday’s final round with a four-shot lead over Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

A birdie on the 4th hole calmed the 47-year-old Singaporean’s nerves and he compiled a steady final round 69 — five birdies and two bogeys — for a commanding win with a final score of 20-under 268.

Aphibarnrat struggled in the conditions on the way to a three-over 75, allowing Frenchman Lionel Weber to finish second after a closing 70.

Thai Prom Meesawat finished in third place, two shots adrift of Weber, while Aphibarnrat shared fourth place with Australian Sam Brazel, Chinese Taipei’s Hung Chien-yao and American Paul Peterson.

Said Mardan, who fell to his knees and kissed the green after closing with a par at the last: “It means a lot to me. This is my last year of exemption and I needed to play well to keep my card. I wanted to win again to keep my exemption for the next few years.” The golfer took home US$180,000 (S$234,000).

While admitting that he thought the scores would not be low in the strong winds that buffeted the course over the four days, Mardan proved himself the master of the conditions as the only player to card four sub-70 round.

“I couldn’t control anyone, only myself and I focused on my own game. Playing with Kiradech, who hits it long, I knew I needed to keep to my own pace, keep to my own strength and it worked out,” he said.

At the 18th hole, it was a matter of controlling his emotions as his fourth title on the Asian Tour beckoned.

“I didn’t want to make any stupid mistakes and I just kept the ball in play. I didn’t feel comfortable until after I hit my second shot on 18. Only then did I feel comfortable about winning this tournament.”

Mardan won the Indian Open in 2004 and followed that up with victory in the Singapore Masters two years later, an event co-sanctioned by the European Tour.

His previous victory came in the 2012 Philippine Open, as Mardan said: “It’s always nice to come back to the Philippines. I know all the pros here. When I come here, they make me feel like home.

“This week, it was about recovering my confidence. Two weeks ago, Zaw Moe tried to stop my faults and he managed to get me back in my game. I had no expectations. I was striking the ball good and I stayed patient with myself.” AGENCIES

Final leaderboard (top eight):

268 - Mardan Mamat (SIN) 65-68-66-69

274 - Lionel Weber (FRA) 70-70-64-70

276 - Prom Meeswat (THA) 73-72-63-68

278 - Sam Brazel (AUS) 67-75-67-69, Hung Chien-yao (TPE) 67-71-69-71, Paul Peterson (USA) 68-70-69-75, Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA) 66-69-68-75

279 - Nicholas Fung (MAS) 69-69-68-73

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