Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Mathiam Keyser kept his composure and won his third Asian Development Tour (ADT) title after carding a final-round two-over-par 73 at the PGM UMW Championship.
The 31-year-old South African, who had to play 33 holes on the final day as a result of weather disruptions in the preceding rounds, stumbled over the finishing line as he made three bogeys over the last four holes at the RM225,000 (about US$58,000) event.
Despite his late hiccups, he signed for a 12-under-par 272 total for a wire-to-wire, two-shot victory at the Impian Golf and Country Club.
“I struggled over the last few holes, so it felt great to get it over the line and win this tournament,” said Keyser. “The victory has been coming for a while. I’ve been playing well this year (he posted four top-10s prior to the PGM UMW Championship) but I wasn’t able to get everything working at the same time. Finally, we’re here with a win!
“I’m very happy with my game at the moment and my personal life. Having everything going in the right direction makes it easier to give it your best when you’re out here competing.”
The victory earned Keyser a cheque for US$9,494 and six Official World Golf Ranking points.
The South African is now in a strong position to finish the season within the top-seven of the ADT Order of Merit and secure playing rights on the Asian Tour for the 2019 season. He has risen to fifth on the money list.
Thai Philip Matsson made a final-round surge up the leaderboard by sinking six birdies to sign for a 64. Matsson, who started the day in tied-10th, finished in second place.