Manila, Philippines: Marcus Both secured an emphatic victory at the ICTSI Philippine Open to revive a career that he considered quitting last year.
The towering Australian, who lost his card last year for the first time since 2003, posted a two-under-par 70 for a winning total of six-under 282 at the US$300,000 Asian Tour event.
Siddikur Rahman (69) of Bangladesh, Tour rookie Nathan Holman (70) of Australia, Thai Arnond Vongvanij (70) and home heroes Antonio Lascuna (70) and Jay Bayron (72) tied for second two shots behind Both.
Third-round leader Chan Kim battled for his first Asian Tour victory before the American settled for a share of 10th place following a round of 76 at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club.
Both was almost reduced to tears after winning his third Asian Tour title and ending a five-year title drought on the circuit. The victory was even sweeter as the Australian had to rely on a sponsor’s invite after losing his playing rights last year.
“It was an emotional year on and off the golf course after I lost my Tour card. I had to return to Qualifying School this year and I missed the cut by one shot. It was so bad that I even thought of quitting the game,” said 34-year-old Both, who won US$54,000.
“Words can’t describe how it feels from being an invite to a winner. I have to thank ICTSI and the Asian Tour for giving me the invite. To come away with the trophy is amazing. I’m a bit lost for words.”
After turning in 34, Both needed to make a 20-foot birdie putt on 15 followed by a short birdie on 16 to take a three-shot lead. He bogeyed the last two holes and admits that he was lucky to hold on to victory, as his closest competitors failed to take advantage.
“I didn’t let off in the last two holes. I gave it full commitment there. Strange things happen in golf and I’ve seen people hole second shots on the last to win. You just have to hope that it doesn’t happen to you,” he said. “I hit my putt on 15 a bit too hard, but it went in. Then I hit one of my best swings on 16 and the wind died when I needed it to. Those two holes gave me some momentum.”
Siddikur, the first Bangladeshi to play and win on the Asian Tour, birdied holes two, three and seven, but struggled to keep pace as he returned with 11 straight pars. “I’m very happy with my round because it was bogey-free,” said Siddikur, a two-time Asian Tour winner.
“I’m not happy with my putting, but I still managed to escape from making errors. I was confident I could win this event, but I didn’t putt too well on the second and third day. This is all part of golf and we learn from it.”
Kim, winner of the 2013 Asian Tour Qualifying School, cut a forlorn figure after the Korean-American missed out on his first Asian Tour victory when he traded three birdies against four bogeys, then finished with a triple-bogey on the 18th.
“I didn’t play too bad, but I missed a lot of putts inside 10 feet,” Kim said. “It’s just something that I need to learn from. I just need to stay patient and not force the issue of winning. I missed the cut here last year and now I finished top-10. That’s a big improvement, so maybe I will get the win next year”