BYEONG HUN AN LANDS MAIDEN EUROPEAN TOUR TITLE
Week21

Byeong-Hun An landed his maiden European Tour title in record-breaking fashion with a sensational final round display at the BMW PGA Championship.

The Korean confirmed the enormous promise he showed as an amateur with a commanding victory at Wentworth Club on Sunday.

He carded a final round of 65 to finish 21 under par and beat the previous tournament record by two shots, finishing six ahead of veterans Miguel Angel Jiménez and Thongchai Jaidee.

25TH MAY 2015 | 04:30 AM

European Tour - BMW PGA Championship

The Korean confirmed the enormous promise he showed as an amateur with a commanding victory at Wentworth Club on Sunday.

He carded a final round of 65 to finish 21 under par and beat the previous tournament record by two shots, finishing six ahead of veterans Miguel Angel Jiménez and Thongchai Jaidee.

England's Chris Wood was two shots further back in fourth after a closing 66 which included winning a BMW i8 for a hole-in-one on the 14th, a tournament-record fifth ace of the week.

An is only the second player to win The European Tour's flagship event on their rookie season and claimed the first prize of €833,330.

The 23 year old - who became the youngest winner of the US Amateur Championship in 2009 at the age of 17 - moves from 132nd in the Official World Golf Ranking to inside the top 60 as a result, securing his place in the US Open and Open Championship.

Afterwards An hailed a "life-changing" victory, saying: "It's like a fifth Major to me. It's the biggest title I have won and gets me into a lot of events. This is life-changing.

"I'm still really excited and over the moon right now.

"I wasn't expecting this. I didn't know that a win was this close. It came all of a sudden. I've been playing well all year but I never thought I would win this event.


PGA Tour – Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial


Chris Kirk didn’t expect to win Sunday. He didn’t expect to celebrate with his wife and two kids, or slip on the champion’s plaid jacket, or receive a check for $1.17 million that will more than cover the cost of the new house he’s closing on Wednesday in his old college stomping grounds of Athens, Georgia.


Kirk didn’t have his “A” game for the final round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He didn’t feel very good with driver in his hands. In fact, he avoided using it on the 72nd hole of the tournament despite absolutely needing par to maintain the lead.


Oh, he wanted to use driver, but it wasn’t the smart play, not with how uncomfortable it felt while standing over each tee shot. “I just didn’t think I was going to hit it anywhere on the planet, to be honest with you,” Kirk said.


It was a similar feeling Kirk had two weeks ago at THE PLAYERS Championship. He entered the final round with a one-shot lead but didn’t feel great about his swing that Sunday at TPC Sawgrass. He dropped back with a couple of early bogeys and never seriously got in the mix, shooting a 3-over 75 to finish tied for 13th.


If it didn’t happen two weeks ago, why expect things to be any different this Sunday at Colonial, especially when he felt the same way?


But maybe in the last two weeks, he learned something about himself. Maybe he learned how to win when he’s not at his best. Maybe, just maybe, Chris Kirk is a better player than he was back in north Florida.


And maybe that’s why he shot a final-round 4-under 66 to claim the Crowne Plaza Invitational by one stroke Sunday at Colonial.



Sunshine Tour - Lombard Insurance Classic

Dean Burmester set a new record for the lowest winning total at the Lombard Insurance Classic after carding a Sunday 65 to finish the week on 23-under-par.


“Red 23 is my grandfather’s lucky number and I managed to pull it off. It wasn’t as easy as it looks on the scoreboard. I’m really happy with how the day went and hopefully there are many more like this,” he said.


The four-time Sunshine Tour champ used his distance off the tee to obliterate Royal Swazi Sun Country Club throughout the week and sealed a five-shot win over Keith Horne and Peter Karmis.


“This is a fantastic breeding ground for South African golf,” said Burmester. “Every time you have a victory it secures your place on tour. In world golf people notice when you win tournaments, and it helps you get overseas and move to bigger things.”




Japan Golf Tour - Kansai Open Golf Championship


Daisuke Kataoka won the Kansai Open Golf Championship on Sunday with a final round score of 67.


This is Daisuke’s first win on the Japan Golf Tour claiming 16 World Ranking points moving from Rank 363rd to 228th.




Asian development Tour - Ambassador ADT


Overnight leader Chan Shih-chang of Chinese Taipei was declared the winner of the Ambassador ADT moving to World No. 229th after officials cancelled the fourth and final round due to inclement weather on Sunday.


Chan, who signed for a third round four-under-par 68, broke his own record on the burgeoning Tour after claiming his fifth ADT victory with a winning total of 12-under-par 204 at the Hsin Feng Golf and Country Club, where he has been honing his skills for the past 13 years.


The final round of the Ambassador ADT, originally scheduled to start at 7.20am local time, was first delayed till 8.00am and then 8.30am before officials subsequently announced the cancelation of the fourth round at 9.10am.


“After deliberation, the organising committee has decided to cancel the final round due to continuous heavy rain which is expected to last throughout the day and conditions were deemed unplayable,” said Jittisak Tamprasert, Asian Tour Tournament Director.


The Ambassador ADT has been shortened to 54-holes and overnight leader Chan has been declared the winner of the tournament,” added Jittisak.


Chan took home the winner’s prize purse of US$21,000 and received six Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points following his victory.


“I’m very happy to win the tournament which is held on my home course where I have been playing since I was a young kid. The weather hasn’t been good this week so I am very happy with how I’ve played,” said the 28-year-old Chan, who just won in China last week.




Challenge Tour – Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda


Nacho Elvira secured his second Challenge Tour title in a month, and third overall, after a wondrous wedge to the 72nd hole sealed a one stroke win in the Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda moving to World No. 258th.


In bright sunshine on a dramatic final day, Elvira clinched victory – and with it a cheque for €28,000 which propelled him to the top of the Road to Oman Rankings – courtesy of a pitch perfect approach to the 18th for a closing birdie which cancelled out his bogey on the 17th.


That late gain was the final act of a round of 65 which moved Dantorp to 21 under par and just beyond the clutches of Sweden’s Jens Dantorp, who pushed the champion all the way with a closing 64 at Golfclub Schloss Finkenstein, in Gödersdorf.


Third place was shared on 19 under par by Frenchman Sebastien Gros and England’s Ryan Evans, who closed with seven straight birdies to rampage through the field with a round of 62.


But the day belonged to Elvira who, with just five events played on the 2015 Challenge Tour Schedule, has virtually already secured a swift return to The European Tour.




Korean Golf Tour / One Asia – SK Telecom Open


Korean Choi Jinho bravely drained an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th to win the SK Telecom Open today by a stroke from his young compatriot Lee Soomin.


Choi, who led after every round, closed with an even-par 72 to finish the tournament on 10 under.


Lee, who broke the course record at Sky 72 Ocean Course on day three with a 63, came in with a 71.


It is Choi’s first victory on OneAsia and is part of a remarkable comeback as the SK Telecom Open is only the third tournament he has played since finishing 20 months of national service.


“Amazing, I am so relieved,” said Choi, who turns 31 next Wednesday.


“It was a difficult battle all the way and I am very pleased my game held up. It is an emotional victory considering everything and a surprise to come so soon. I guess I was just very up for it.”




PGA Tour LatinoAmerica – Guatemala Stella Artois Open


Danny Balin of Greenwich, Connecticut was declared the winner of the Guatemala Stella Artois Open when thunderstorms moved into La Reunión Golf Resort on Sunday afternoon to force the cancelation of the fourth round.


Balin was playing the ninth hole of the final round and was tied for the lead with Marcelo Rozo of Bogota, Colombia, who was at 16-under through 17, when play was called for the day at 4:04 p.m.


By the time play got suspended it was clear that the round couldn’t resume. The standings were reverted back to 54 holes.


Balin had carded Sunday’s only bogey-free round earlier in the day, a 6-under 66 that ended up securing the title. He finished the week at 15-under par 201 to claim his first PGA TOUR Latinoamérica win at the stunning Fuego Maya Golf Course.




PGA Tour China - United Investment Real Estate Wuhan Open


Justin Shin, the 25-year-old Canadian from New Mexico State University, shot a 3-under 69 in the final round of the United Investment Real Estate Wuhan Open to win his first professional title, finishing at 12-under and three shots ahead of fellow Canadian Eugene Wong. While several were in hot pursuit Sunday, it was Shin who held up the trophy. Australia’s Rohan Blizard finished third, while the only Chinese player inside the top 10 was amateur Zihan She. He finished at 4-under, good for a tie for fifth and low-amateur honors.


Technically, the win was Shin’s second in China. Earlier this year, he won the First Global Qualifying Tournament that earned him his full exemption onto the Ping An Bank China Tour – PGA TOUR China Series.


“My second round helped me win this tournament and get to double-digits under par,” Shin said of his second-round 64. Last year at this tournament, three players finished regulation tied at 8-under, with Australian Brett Drewitt winning the title. The 8-under total was exactly the score Shin shot Friday.

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