Justin Quiban’s hot fourth round gives him his best Asian Tour finish yet. —AFP
Asian Tour rookie Justin Quiban had one of the hottest closing rounds in the International Series Thailand on Sunday with a flawless seven-under-par 65 enabling him to catch celebrated countryman Miguel Tabuena in a 22nd place tie in the $2 million event won by Australia’s Wade Ormsby in a playoff.
Quiban opened up his final round with three straight birdies and closed it with his seventh, going bogey-free over the tough Black Mountain layout to tally a 72-hole 274 like Tabuena, the first round coleader who returned a third straight 70.
Ormsby wound up tied with Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam at 286 after a 65 and 64, respectively.
Tabuena, the tour veteran who has also seen action in a handful of US Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Tour events, slowed down after an opening bogey-free 64 that left him tied for the lead with Dodge Kemmer.
Kemmer, the American who held the lead or was tied for it after two rounds, couldn’t match the explosive finishes of some of the elite players on tour over the weekend as his 69 made him finish out of the top 10.
Late bogeys
Micah Shin, an American who used to call Davao home, finished just a shot out of the playoff with a 67, his double bogey 5 on No. 11 eventually dashing his hopes, ending up tied with South Korea’s Yeong Su-kim, who shot a 66.
In Singapore, Eila Galitsky of Thailand birdied three of her last four holes for a four-under-par 68 and rule the Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific Championship by five shots over South Korea’s Minsol Kim at Singapore Island Country Club.
Galitzky tallied a 72-hole 274 as Kim closed out with a 70 even as the Philippines’ Rianne Malixi hobbled home with late bogeys for a 73 that left her to a joint 13th place finish.
Yeji Park , also of Korea, returned a 70 to tie Hong Kong’s Sophie Han and Kiwi Fiona Xu, who matched 71s, and world No. 5 Yuna Araki from Japan, who had a 72, for 282.
The victory gave Galitsky’s promising career a big shot in the arm as she claimed spots in this year’s three Major championships on the LPGA Tour, including the Chevron Championship in Texas next month, the Evian Championship in France in July and the AIG Women’s Open in England in August.
It also netted her invites to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur later this month in Georgia, the Hana Financial Group Championship and the Women’s Australian Open.