Green wins ICTSI Manila Southwoods title
CARMONA, Cavite—Rising Malaysian star Gavin Green rebounded from his worst round of the week with one of the best scores Saturday, rallying from three strokes down to win the $60,000 ICTSI Manila Southwoods Championship ADT by two shots.
One of the longest hitters on the fledging tour, Green fired a six-under-par 65 built around seven birdies at the complex’s Legends layout here to tally a 16-under 268 total and win his first pro title out of Malaysia.
Singapore’s Koh Deng Sang shot a 65 and Thailand’s Donlaphatchai Niyomchon shot a 67 to share second spot two strokes behind even as Miguel Tabuena cracked par for the third straight day to emerge as the best Filipino in the field.
Tabuena submitted a 68 and tied for 13th spot along with five foreigners at 275 with Jobim Carlos, the rookie pro who was just two shots down at the start of the day, ballooning to a 74 to be another shot back.
After shooting a 72 to drop out of the lead in the third round and trail American John Michael O’Toole by three shots, Green buckled down to work again with a front side 32 before taking it to seven-under for the day after a three-birdie string ended on the 13th.
He dropped his only shot on the par-4 14th—a regular par-5 for members which Green bogeyed in each of the last three days—before shooting pars the rest of the way for his third ADT title.
“It was a really interesting round,” Green, tall, well-built and who hits it long, said. “I think I handled myself really well, especially in the final few holes. This win really means a lot to me.”
Niyomchon, also a former leg winner, was very much in contention and actually engaged Green in a shootout, only to drop three shots in two holes from the 15th and settle for a tie with Koh.
O’Toole, who set a course record 61 in the second round and took the lead after a 68 on Friday, matched par 71 for 271, tied with Poom Saksansin and Pikit Petchkasem of Thailand who shot a 68 and 70, respectively.
It was also a bad day for the 23-year-old Carlos, who opened up birdie-birdie-birdie to take the lead before dropping eight strokes in the next 11 holes, counting a triple bogey 7 on the 14th.
