Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee survived a few anxious moments before successfully defending the Carlsberg Malaysian Open at Suajana Golf and Country Club. A closing two under par 70 gave the former paratrooper a 21 under par total of 267, three clear of India’s Jyoti Randhawa with Swede Henrik Stenson a further shot adrift.
Twelve months ago Jaidee created history when he became the first Thai golfer to win on The European Tour International Schedule and this time around he joined a select group of players who have successfully defended their title.
With a six shot lead overnight, the tournament was always in his hands but Randhawa and Stenson both put up a spirited challenge in the event joint sanctioned by The European Tour and the Asian Tour.
Both players closed with rounds of 67, five under par, but despite their best efforts never got closer than two shots from the lead.
Jaidee is the first player to retain a strokeplay title on The European Tour International Schedule since Ernie Els won his third Heineken Classic title in February last year. Victory earned him €156,763 and lifted him to fifth in The European Tour Order of Merit. It was also his seventh Asian Tour victory, placing him alongside Korea’s Kang Wook-Soon as the most prolific winners in Asian Tour.
All a far cry from his humble beginnings when he learnt the game sharing one club made up of a three iron head stuck on a bamboo stick with a group of ten friends.
“This feels fantastic,” said Jaidee. “This win is better than last year. I just told myself to play my own game. The driver didn’t work well for me today but the irons worked nicely.”
There was a chink of light for the chasing pair when Jaidee, the Asian Tour Number One, first bogeyed the ninth and then drove out of bounds with a hooked drive on the 11th. But he steadied the ship with his second ball, holing from eight feet to drop just the one stroke and maintain his two stroke advantage.
At that stage most of the pressure was coming from Stenson who has making huge strides into the seven shot deficit he faced at the start of the round. Four birdies on the front nine closed the gap to three and his birdie on the 11th put left him only two adrift.
But the 13th proved unlucky for him and the momentum was lost. Pressing for an eagle three, Stenson misjudged the wind and pulled his seven iron approach. His ball ended up sat on top of the rocks on the edge of the water and, in attempting to nick it clean off the stone, the clubhead bounced and he only moved the ball forward a few feet. His next chip ran about ten feet past and, to his astonishment, the par putt stayed out. In going for the eagle he in fact made a costly bogey.
Jaidee, in the following group, responded with a birdie, pitching to within a couple of feet of the hole to restore his four shot cushion over the Swede. Stenson continued to try to forge an opening, making birdie on the 15th but Jaidee wasn’t going to be caught. A year earlier he effectively won the tournament with a hole-in-one on the 16th. This time around he applied the coup de grace on the same hole with a birdie to keep the challengers at arms length.
“I lost the momentum a little on the 13th,” said Stenson. “Hit a so so shot, misjudged the wind and ended up on the rocks. I went for the pin to try and catch up two shots at once there but it didn’t work out that way. Sometimes it doesn’t work out the way you plan.
“But overall, I’m happy with the way I played this week and to be in contention.”
Stenson claimed €58,882 with his second top ten of the season to climb to 12th in the European Tour Order of Merit.
Randhawa, an affiliate Member of The European Tour, also battled well and with a bit more luck it might have been his day. Chips lipped out, putts refused to drop but he still maintained the pressure with six birdies and just the one dropped shot. A birdie on the last gave him outright second and earned him €104,508. He now lies in tenth place on The European Tour Order of Merit.
“I did try and give it a go,” said Randhawa. “The bogey on the fifth was a little disappointing as it took the wheels off. But I came back strongly mid round with some birdies. Then after missing the birdie on the 14th I didn’t really have a chance.
“Thongchai made a great recovery on the 11th after hitting it out of bounds. I thought after that we might have a chance as he was looking at making a possible six. But he recovered well with a five.
“We tried but he didn’t falter.”
Ireland’s Paul McGinley, playing his first European Tour event since a knee operation last November, shot a closing 68 to finish joint fourth alongside last week’s winner of the Holden New Zealand Open, Niclas Fasth. The Swede also posted a final round 68 for a 12 under par total of 276.
An anticipated final day charge from World Number Eight Padraig Harrington faltered on the third hole when he was distracted by a camera and hit the ball out of bounds to run up a double bogey. He eventually closed with a two over 74 to finish in a share of eighth place.
