The Hindu : Sport / Golf : Wiratchant wins Indonesia Open

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 28, 2005

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Sport - Golf

Wiratchant wins Indonesia Open

JAKARTA, MARCH 27 . Thailand's Thaworn Wiratchant romped to a sensational five-stroke victory in the $ one million Indonesia Open golf tournament here on Sunday. The Indians — Arjun Atwal, Gaurav Ghei and Shiv Kapur — finished way down the leaderboard.

Atwal, who had a fine start to the event, Ghei and Kapur all finished joint 19th with identical scores of 12-under-par 268 in the competition, which was won by Wiratchant after shooting a final round of seven-under-par 63 today. Two other Indians, Harmeet Kahlon and Amandeep Johl, finished tied 31st and tied 63rd respectively.

On an amazing final day at the par-70 Cengkareng Golf Club, the Thai with the unorthodox swing triumphed in style with a four-day score of 25-under-par 255 — the lowest 72-hole total on both the Asian Tour and European Tour.

Thaworn's success, worth $166,660, will go down in the history books along with several other wonderful achievements. It was his fifth Asian Tour title and first on the European Tour.

Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin, who got to within one stroke of Wiratchant on the 11th hole, settled for his career's fourth second-place finish after a closing 65 for a 260 total while Australian Adam Fraser sank a magical hole-in-one en route to a 62 for third place, a further stroke back.

``Winning a co-sanctioned event has been on my mind. I've been trying for a while and my dream has now become a reality,'' said Wiratchant, who joins Thongchai Jaidee as the only Thai winners on the European Tour.

The results: Leading final round scores: 255: Thaworn Wiratchant (63, 63, 66, 63); 260: Raphael Jacquelin (64, 67, 64, 65); 261: Adam Fraser (66, 65, 68, 62); 262: Frankie Minoza (67, 67, 62, 66); Colin Montgomerie (67, 69, 66, 60); 263: Eiji Mizoguchi (64, 69, 64, 66); 265: Gary Simpson (67, 67, 64, 67); Marcus Both (67, 69, 66, 63); Ariel Canete (69, 68, 63, 65); Chris Williams (63, 68, 66, 68); 266: Richard Moir (66, 70, 65, 65); Clay Devers (67, 67, 68, 64); Hennie Otto (67, 66, 67, 66); Thongchai Jaidee (66, 66, 65, 69); Paul Mcginley (69, 68, 64, 65); Mardan Mamat (65, 65, 66, 70); 267: Mahal Darren Pearce (66, 67, 66, 68); Terry Pilkadaris (67, 64, 67, 69); 268: Boonchu Ruangkit (65, 70, 66, 67); Gaurav Ghei (64, 70, 68, 66); Thammanoon Srirot (68, 66, 68, 66); Simon Hurd (70, 67, 63, 68); Terry Price (66, 66, 68, 68); Shiv Kapur (65, 66, 71, 66); Arjun Atwal (62, 69, 71, 66). — PTI

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