Singapore & Italy qualify for World Cup

Singapore and Italy booked their spots to the Barbados World Cup after a tough day on course in the Qualifier at Seri Selangor Golf Club on Saturday.

Singapore's Mardan Mamat and Lam Chih Bing, who led since the second round, scored a one-under-par 70 in the foursomes format and finished on top with a four-day winning total of 13-under-par 271. It will be their third World Cup appearance together as a team.

Emanuele Canonica and in-form Francesco Molinari of Italy, who finished even-par in the final round, ended their campaign seven strokes behind the Singaporean duo.

It was a disappointing finish for India’s Shiv Kapur and Gaurav Ghei as they slipped on the fourth day with a 76 in joint third spot alongside Swiss pair Martin Rominger and Nicolas Sulzes who finished level-par.

It was also heartbreak for local talent Danny Chia and Iain Steel, who is ranked 36th on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit, when they shot a 75 and ended their run in tied fifth position together with Hong Kong’s James Stewart and David Freeman as they carded a 70.

Despite the mounting pressure, Mardan and Lam remained steady in the opening stages of the final round with an outward 36.

“We played solid but could not make any putts. Mardan told me, while on the front nine, to be patient and the putts will drop, eventually it did, so I am very happy with our performance,” said Lam.

“I holed a good 20 foot birdie putt at the 14th hole which was a good confidence booster for us and we knew that our chance of a place in the World Cup was almost there,” he said.

They stumbled in the 10th hole with a bogey but bounced back with a birdie on the 13th hole. Thanks to a lengthy 20 foot putt by Lam at the 14th hole followed by a third consecutive birdie on the 15th hole, the Singapore duo extended their lead and closed in with a dropped shot on the 17th hole. After narrowly missing a 20 foot birdie putt at the par four 18th hole, Lam ended their round with a simple tap in for par.

“The most important thing is that we did our best and focused on our game and right now, we need to have a good rest,” said Mardan.

Despite having to use borrowed clubs on Wednesday, Molinari and Canonica enjoyed a good spell as they carded three birdies against an equal number of bogeys in the final round.

“We played well until the 14th hole when we struggled there slightly with a bogey but it was good enough today as we finished second,” said Molinari, who won the Italian Open earlier this season and was runner-up at the Omega European Masters last week.

“We were unlucky in the 18th hole as Canonica’s drive landed just left off the fairway. We decided to lay it up and managed to make bogey which is what we needed.

“We enjoyed this week as everything ended well and we are looking forward to the World Cup. We are both in good form now so we hope to continue our momentum right through to December,” he said.

After three birdies against two bogeys on the front nine, Chia and Steel then struggled in the closing stages with five bogeys in the remaining nine holes.

“Danny did good today as he managed to keep the ball in play but on the back nine, we seemed to struggle,” said Steel.

The Barbados World Cup will be held at The Sandy Lane Resort from December 7-10.

Final round scores (foursomes)
271: Singapore (Mardan Mamat/Lam Chih Bing) 65-73-63-70
278: Italy (Emanuele Canonica/Francesco Molinari) 68-75-64-71
280: Switzerland (Martin Rominger/Nicolas Sulzes) 70-74-65-71
India (Shiv Kapur/Gaurav Ghei) 68-70-66-76
281: Hong Kong (James Stewart/David Freeman) 63-78-70-70
Malaysia (Danny Chia/Iain Steel) 65-78-63-75
282: Philippines (Gerald Rosales/Juvic Pagunsan) 64-74-70-74
Finland (Mikko Maneros/Juha Pekka Peltomaki) 69-72-67-74
286: Chinese Taipei (Lu Wei-lan/Lu Wei-chih) 70-75-68-73
287: Myanmar (Zaw Moe/Soe Kyaw Naing) 72-78-69-68
290: Holland (Ruben Wechgelaer/John Bleys) 73-73-65-79
294: Pakistan (Muhammed Munir/Imdad Hussain) 69-78-69-78
296: Ghana (Emos Korblah/Victo Brave Mensah) 69-79-72-76
316: Mauritius (Billy Narraina/Vishnoo Seeneevassen) 75-85-78-78

September 16, 2006

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