Eagle and three birdies lift Paul to first title of the year

All for you, dad: Rafiq Ismail reacting after winning the Samho Cup in South Korea. Right: Posing with his wife Wan Nur Adzlin Wan Ahmad Ifafudin and two-year-old son Yusuf.

PETALING JAYA: National golfer Paul San hit an eagle and three birdies on the final day of the PGM Melaka Closed Championship to win his first title of the year.

Paul wrapped up the three-day tournament 68-66-69 for a 13 under total finish at the Tiara Melaka Golf and Country Club on Thursday.

Daeng Abdul Rahman played 10 under, which gave him second place, while Shahriffuddin Ariffin settled for third with nine under.

It had been a long struggle to be on the podium for Paul, whose last win came last August when he won the Supra Cup at the Palm Resort Golf and Country Club.

“This win will surely boost my confidence for the next events,” said Paul.

“I will be playing back-to-back Asian Development Tour (ADT) events over the coming weeks.”

Paul will be heading to Vietnam next month to compete in the Vietnam Masters at the Royal Long An Golf and Country Club from Oct 8-10, followed by the ADT Players Championship at the Luisita Golf and Country Club in the Philippines from Oct 16-19.

Meanwhile, in the ladies’ championship, Jocelyn Chee sealed her win with a 12 under finish, seven strokes clear of second-place finisher Ng Jing Xuen with five under.

The lowest score on the final day was Aretha Pan, whose eight under lifted her to third place.

FINAL ROUND SCORES

Men

203: Paul San 68-66-69

206: Daeng Abdul Rahman 71-69-66

207: Shahriffuddin Ariffin 70-69-68

209: Brandon Lai 73-68-68

210: Khor Kheng Hwai 69-72-69, Kemarol Baharin 66-71-73

Ladies

204: Jocelyn Chee 68-70-66

211: Ng Jing Xuen 71-71-69

212: Aretha Pan 73-75-64

217: Liyana Durisic 74-73-70

218: Winnie Ng 78-71-69, Amalia Shahzan 71-73-74