Hend roars to life with drama-filled victory
KUALA LUMPUR: Australian Scott Hend beat Spanish overnight leader Nacho Elvira with a birdie on the first play-off hole to win the co-sanctioned US$3 million Maybank Championship after wild weather triggered a dramatic finish yesterday.
Hend was leading Elvira by a single stroke heading into the final hole when torrential rain started falling on the Saujana Golf and Country Club.
The first crack of thunder came as Elvira hit his approach shot to the 18th green and, with lightning flashing around them, the players were forced off the course before either could attempt a putt.
They returned after a delay of more than 90 minutes and Elvira nailed his birdie putt from 30 feet for a two-under-par 70 to tie the scores at 15-under 273 and force the play-off.
Hend looked in trouble when he landed in a greenside bunker on the first play-off hole but it was his turn to celebrate minutes later when he landed a four-footer after his opponent’s birdie putt had stopped just short of the hole.
It was a third European Tour and 10th Asian Tour title — his first since 2016 — for the 45-year-old.
Earlier Hend, who started the round three shots behind the Spaniard, had made all the running on another day of stifling heat in the Malaysian capital with six birdies and a single bogey as he hit a 67 for the second day in a row.
His drives, although typically long, were not always accurate and he had to scrap for some of his birdies on the greens, not least at the sixth and seventh holes when he drained lengthy putts to join Elvira at the top of the leaderboard.
An accurate drive and an aggressive approach shot to within six feet at the ninth earned the Queenslander another birdie and the sole lead.
He bogeyed the 10th but Elvira did too and when Hend extended his lead to two shots with his final shot at the 13th, it looked like the title was his.
Elvira, who led by two shots coming into the final round, had never really got going but a birdie at the 16th finally put him under par for the day, and a shot behind Hend overall, to set up the late drama.
Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond enjoyed yet another top-10 finish by closing with a 69 to take third place while American Johannes Veerman bettered his previous best result of 12th position in 2017 by signing off with a 66 to finish in fourth place.
LEADING FINAL ROUND SCORES
(Par-72)
273 — Scott Hend (AUS) 69-70-67-67 (won in play-off); Nacho Elvira (ESP) 65-72-66-70
275 — Jazz Janewattananond (THA) 66-72-68-69 276 — Johannes Veerman (USA) 72-69-69-66
277 — Oliver Fisher (ENG) 70-70-68-69; Maximilian Kieffer (GER) 71-67-68-71
278 — Darren Fichardt (RSA) 76-65-71-66; Ernie Els (RSA) 68-70-69-71; Andy Sullivan (ENG) 72-7067-69; Jordan Smith (ENG) 74-68-71-65; Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR) 72-72-66-68; Benjamin Hebert (FRA) 69-73-65-71
279 — Ross Fisher (ENG) 72-71-66-70; David Lipsky (USA) 72-66-67-74