2007 Hana Bank Vietnam Masters - Round 4: Chapchai claims victory with closing birdie burst

Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat claimed a two-shot victory in the inaugural Hana Bank Vietnam Masters on Sunday after a blistering finish at Hanoi Phoenix Golf Resort.

The Thai hotshot fired a closing five-under-par 67 which included three birdies over his last four holes and finished two strokes ahead of Simon Griffiths of England and compatriot Chawalit Plaphol to claim his second title of the year.

By picking up the winner’s cheque of US$79,250, Chapchai stayed in the hunt for the prestigious Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit crown where he has now moved up to third place and is the only player who can deny current leader Liang Wen-chong of China the Merit title.

“I know I have a good chance of challenging Liang for the UBS Order of Merit title now. But I really want to take it one event at a time and not give myself any pressure,” said Chapchai after his triumph.

Chapchai started the day in joint-third place but the burly Thai forced his way back into contention with two opening birdies. That set the tone for Chapchai to stay in contention and he pulled off a great finish to claim top honours in the inaugural Hana Bank Vietnam Masters.

He also dedicated his victory to Supphaphorn Maphungphong, a man regarded as the godfather of Thai golf who passed away in Bangkok on Saturday at the age of 62.

Chapchai was visibly upset when he learnt of Supphaphorn’s passing. “A lot of the Thai golfers are sponsored by Singha, thanks to the efforts of Supphaphorn. He’s like a godfather to all of us, so I would like to dedicate this win to him,” said Chapchai.

“Everything just went well for me today. I told myself at the start of the day to just go out there, play my normal game and not get distracted by the scores of the players around me,” said Chapchai, winner of the TCL Classic in China earlier this year.

“My putting was really good. I didn’t miss many putts and that really gave me the confidence to go out there and win the title.”

Overnight leader Chawalit, who was two strokes behind the leader with two holes to play, knew that he had to reel in more birdies in order to stay in contention for the title. Unfortunately, the strength of his short game, which he had relied so heavily upon the last three rounds, let him down on the day when it mattered most.

“My putting really let me down today. I double-bogeyed on the 11th hole which proved to be the turning point of my game today. My birdie putt miss on the 17th was also very costly,” said Chawalit who battled to a 278.

Griffiths who started the day in second place got off to a disappointing start which he had not expected.

“I was disappointed with way I started. I had a bogey on the fourth hole after missing a silly putt. I then shot a horrible tee shot on the ninth and went on to miss the green on the 12th,” said the Englishman who posted a 278.

The 33-year old tried to make amends from the 13th hole when he had the opportunity to make birdies on almost every hole. Sadly, he was left to rue all his missed chances with his poor finishing

“I count myself lucky to finish second considering that I was fifth at one point.
I had my chances, but Chapchai made a great finish with birdies on the 16th and 17th holes today. He deserves to win this week,” said Griffiths.

Ryder Cup star Paul McGinley of Ireland endured several costly errors on three successive holes - 14th, 15th and 16th - which caused him to tumble down the leaderboard and end his campaign in joint fifth position on 281.

“I got a little bit impatient at the end. I didn’t putt very well. I took on some pins out there and I tried to force the issue because I didn’t feel like I was going to make those putts,” said McGinley.

Leading Final Round Scores (click here for full leaderboard):

276 - Chapchai Nirat (THA) 68-71-70-67
278 - Chawalit Plaphol (THA) 71-67-67-73, Simon Griffiths (ENG) 68-70-68-72
279 - Anthony Kang (USA) 73-66-70-70
281 - Charlie Wi (KOR) 71-70-71-69, Boonchu Ruangkit (THA) 68-70-73-70, Zaw Moe (MYN) 70-72-69-70, Paul Mcginley (IRL) 74-67-68-72
282 - Mo Joong-kyung (KOR) 68-73-74-67, Ross Bain (SCO) 69-72-73-68, David Gleeson (AUS) 73-69-70-70, Simon Yates (SCO) 70-70-70-72, Han Lee (USA) 69-70-70-73
284 - Rahil Gangjee (IND) 69-71-74-70, Jason King (AUS) 68-75-71-70, Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 73-69-69-73

November 25, 2007

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