Cebu, Philippines: Filipino Elmer Salvador played his way into the record books by becoming the first player to successfully defend a title on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) at the US$65,000 Aboitiz Invitational on Saturday.
The 43-year-old took advantage of a hot start when he carded four birdies on the front nine to turn in 32 before adding two more birdies against three dropped shots to finish with a final round three-under-par 69 at the Cebu Country Club.
Salvador totaled 12-under-par 276 to edge out fellow compatriot and overnight leader Angelo Que by one shot while another Filipino Carl Santos-Ocampo finished four shots back on 280 to settle for third place.
England’s Ian Keenan recorded a 71 to take a share of fourth place with Korea’s Park Il-hwan and Guido Van Der Valk of the Netherlands on matching 282s.
American Brian Locke, who was the first round leader, mixed his card with four birdies and one bogey to tie for seventh place after a 69 on 283 with Filipino duo Charles Hong and Miguel Tabuena who posted scores of 71 and 70 respectively.
Salvador reveled in delight upon clinching his second ADT victory but claimed that the win did not come easily as he had to battle with a fever yesterday.
“I’m very happy to be able to defend my title. It has not been easy. I was running a fever yesterday but luckily, I felt better today,” said Salvador, who is the first player to defend his title on the ADT since the burgeoning tour inaugurated in 2010.
“I will go back to Manila to celebrate the win with my family and start preparing for my next event on the local tour soon. I also hope to play more on the Asian Tour and the ADT in the second half of the season,” added Salvador.
Salvador, who earned US$11,375 for his victory, will receive six Official World Ranking points courtesy of his triumph this week.
Despite missing out on his win, Que remained optimistic that his turn will come soon.
“The three bogeys on the front nine were really disappointing but I managed to recover with three birdies after the turn. Overall, I think it has been a great week. I am happy with how I’ve played despite finishing second,” said Que, a three-time winner on the Asian Tour, which is celebrating its milestone 10th season in 2013.
“I am sure there’s always a next time if I continue to play well. I’m looking forward to the next half of the season,” added Que.
Created along the lines of the European Challenge Tour and Web.com Tour in the United States, the ADT will reward the top-three players on the final Order of Merit with Asian Tour cards for the following year.
