Sabah, Malaysia: Chan Shih-chang of Chinese Taipei claimed a dramatic victory at the PGM-UMW Sabah Classic when he defeated James Bowen of the United States on the third extra hole on Saturday.

Chan, who closed with the day’s lowest score of five-under-par 67, went the distance with Bowen after both of them tied on seven-under-par 281 in regulation play at the RM180,000 (approximately US$60,000) ADT event.

Bowen bowed out from the third play-off and settled for second while Singapore’s Mitchell Slorach finished third with a closing 69 to mark his best finish on the ADT this season at the Sabah Golf and Country Club.

Nicholas Fung, the highest-ranked golfer in Malaysia, took fourth place after signing for a 71 while compatriot Airil Rizman and Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert shared fifth on matching 284s after rounds of 69 and 71 respectively.

Overnight leader, Lindsay Renolds of Canada, posted a disappointing 80 to end his campaign in tied 18th position.

Chan, who has been struggling to play well since the start of the season, was delighted with his maiden ADT win which will serve as a timely confidence boost when he returns to play on the Asian Tour next week.

“It’s my very first win on the ADT. I’m really happy. I’ve not been playing well since the start of the year. This win really boosted my confidence and I can’t wait to play on the Asian Tour in Chinese Taipei next week!” said a motivated Chan, who returned with a flawless round highlighted by five birdies.

“It’s been a good week in Sabah. I never thought of winning or being in contention! I guess you play better when you don’t think so much about winning. I would like to thank my family and sponsors especially Emmet Hsu, Chairman of the Yeangder Group for his continuous support,” added the 27-year-old.

Chan took home the winner’s prize purse of US$9,400 and moved to eighth position on the ADT Order of Merit. He also earned six Official World Golf Ranking points for his win.

Bowen narrowly missed out on claiming a third ADT victory this season but was glad to dislodged Malaysia’s Iain Steel at the top of the Order of Merit.

“I had a solid round. I’m disappointed for not winning in the playoff but I’m happy to be back on top of the ADT Order of Merit again. It has been a great week here in Sabah and I enjoyed myself a lot,” said the American, who marked his card with four birdies against two bogeys.

“I’ll be heading back to Thailand and continue practising with my coach and refine my game. Hopefully I can secure another win before the season ends,” added the 27-year-old, who claimed victories in Indonesia and Malaysia earlier this year.

Bowen currently leads the ADT Order of Merit with a season’s haul of US$37,545 while Malaysia’s Iain Steel and Nicholas Fung take the second and third place respectively.

The top three players on the Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn Asian Tour cards for the following year.

All ADT events receive Official World Golf Ranking points, which will be used to determine the field for the World Cup of Golf in Melbourne in November and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Winners on the ADT will receive a minimum of six world ranking points while the top six players and ties will earn points based on a sliding scale.

The PGM-UMW Sabah Classic is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM Tour).

For more information on the ADT, please visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com.

Leading final round scores:
 

281 – CHAN Shih-chang (TWN) 72-70-72-67, James BOWEN (USA) 71-74-66-70

282 – Mitchell SLORACH (SIN) 75-70-68-69

283 – Nicholas FUNG (MAS) 70-70-72-71

284 – Airil Rizman ZAHARI (MAS) 71-74-70-69, Pavit TANGKAMOLPRASERT (THA) 74-68-71-71

285 – Shaaban HUSSIN (MAS) 67-73-77-68, Jakraphan PREMSIRIGORN (THA) 72-70-73-70, Steve LEWTON (ENG) 75-69-71-70, M. Sasidaran (MAS) 69-72-71-73, Wolmer MURILLO (VEN) 71-71-70-73

286 – Michael TRAN (VIE) 74-72-68-72