Thai teenager Danthai Boonma shot a two-under par 69 to edge out Malaysia’s Nick Fung and win the inaugural Asian Tour World Classic Championship in Singapore yesterday.
The 19-year-old played an almost faultless game in the final 18 holes to eke out his maiden win after turning pro last December, and take home the $135,000 winner’s prize.
Boonma had trailed leaders Fung and Bangladesh’s Siddikur Rahman by a stroke overnight but a cautious and patient strategy payed off at the par-71 Laguna National Golf and Country Club, known for its treacherous slopes and tricky greens.
He conceded only one bogey in the eighth, before shooting birdies in the 12th, 10th and 13th to go two-under and draw level with Fung.
Rahman conceded the lead earlier in the day with three straight bogeys, including a double, turning the championship into a neck-and-neck race between the Thai and Malaysian.
When Fung, playing a flight behind the teenager, tripped on the 16th with a bogey, Boonma said he felt the pressure pile on the final hole.
Leading by a stroke, a birdie there would have sealed the championship for him. But he could only make par and had to wait to see if Fung could force a playoff with a birdie, which he eventually failed to do.
“I was excited and nervous at the same time,” said Boonman.
“But I did not think too much about it, went in there to putt and see what happens. I did not think I would win when I played my first hole today and had to try and keep my focus all day. So I am actually quite surprised that I actually won.”
Fung failed to take the advice of his caddie on which line to take on the 18th to birdie the hole, leaving him with the $82,500 runners-up prize.