Steady Lin rules Solaire Open

TAIWANESE veteran Lin Wen-tang responded to the challenge of Wack Wack East’s last three holes with admirable aplomb and won the first Solaire Open yesterday.

The 40-year-old played the treacherous stretch par-birdie-par, with his save on the 18th from about 12 feet sealing a one-over 73 and his sixth Asian Tour victory by a shot over Thammanoon Sriroj of Thailand.

Lin raised his arms and let out a roar after rolling in the winning putt in front of a good-sized gallery that followed the final flight. With earlier rounds of 69, 73 and 70, he finished with a 285 total.

“I mentioned yesterday (after the third round) that if God loves me, He will let me win again,” said Lin, who noted that Lady Luck was on his side after one-putting the last three holes, including 17 from about 25 feet after pulling off an improbable approach over tall trees.

Sriroj failed to forge sudden death after missing the 18th green and drawing a very awkward stance for his third shot. With his feet inside the left greenside bunker, the Thai chipped way off the mark, his closing bogey giving him a similar 73.

Canadian Richard Lee shared second place with Sriroj after shooting a 69. South Korea’s Wang Jeung-hun was fourth at 287, also after a 69.

Elmer Salvador, the taciturn Filipino who teed off just two strokes behind Lin, scrambled to a 74 and finished solo fifth at level 288, with Mars Pucay and Miguel Tabuena climbing into a sixth-place tie with Gunn Charoekul of Thailand and Unho Park of Australia at 289 after shooting 71 and 72, respectively.

Tabuena flirted with the lead early in his round when he picked up three shots on his first five holes. But he took a triple bogey 6 on the eighth and never recovered.

First-round leader Dodge Kemmer of the United States, who fired an opening 66—the best score in four days—carded a 74 and finished tied for 10th with Korean Hsu Mong-han, who shot a 73, and Thai Pawin Ingkhapradit, who closed with a 76, at 290.

The winner of the Hong Kong Open in 2008 via a playoff over Rory McIlroy and Francesco Molinari, Lin started the day with a one-shot lead only to find himself trailing Thammanoon heading into the closing three holes after bogeys on 13 and 15.

Lin then started gutting it out while Sriroj wilted under the pressure.

After hitting his tee shot short on the par-3 16th, Lin chipped in to gimme distance and pulled within a shot as Sriroj failed to save par from about seven feet.

Lin hit a towering sand wedge shot from 110 yards on the 17th that found the green. “I found a small hole (on top of the trees) and I knew I had that shot.”

The victory, worth $54,000, also erased bitter memories of Lin’s stint here in the 2008 Philippine Open, won by Angelo Que, when he scored a 12 on the par-3 camel back-shaped eighth hole.

The final scores:

(Filipino unless stated)

285 – Lin WT (TPE) 69-73-70-73; 286 – R. Lee (Can) 72-71-74-69, T. Sriroj (THA) 73-69-71-73; 287 – Wang JH (KOR) 72-76-70-69; 288 – E. Salvador 74-69-71-74; 298 – M. Pucay 69-76-73-71, M. Tabuena 73-72-72-72, G. Charoenkul (THA) 73-71-72-73, U. Park (Aus) 73-71-72-73; 290 – Hsu MN (TPE) 74-72-71-73, D. Kemmer (USA) 66-79-71-74, P. Ingkhapradit (THA) 68-75-71-76; 291 – S. Brazel (Aus) 73-75-73-70, Chan YS (TPE) 75-72-73-71, D. Kataoka (JPN) 70-75-73-73, J. Higginbottom (Aus) 74-71-73-73, S, Cyr (USA) 76-70-69-76; 292 – J. Bayron 74-72-74-72; 293 – C. Plaphol (THA) 72-75-77-69, A. Lascuna 73-74-77-69, H. Rai (IND) 75-76-72-70, C. Santos-Ocampo 72-72-76-73, M. Jager (Aus) 70-72-76-75, P. Muenlek (THA) 74-70-73-76; 294 – Y. Tsukada (JPN) 72-73-79-70, J. Kennegard 73-77-74-70, P. Pittayarat (THA) 75-72-76-71, A. Lohan (IND) 76-71-74-73, Z. Moe (MYN) 74-74-73-73, M. Dumandan 77-72-72-73, Z. Gialon 74-77-69-74, A. Vongvanij (THA) 75-74-70-75, K. Tannin (THA) 71-71-76-76, C. Phadungsil (THA) 75-71-72-76; 295 – Koh DS (Sin) 73-76-73-73, A. Kang (USA) 77-74-70-74, T. Petterson (SWE) 75-74-71-75, Mo JK (KOR) 71-77-71-76, C. Rodgers (ENG) 73-74-71-77, Kim GW (KOR) 72-71-72-80; 296 – F. Aunzo 75-76-73-72, Baek SH (KOR) 70-81-70-75, R. Gangjee (IND) 75-69-75-77, D. Chia (MAS) 72-76-71-77, T. Hiratsuka (JPN) 71-73-74-78.