Charlie Wi takes Kuala Lumpur Open
Charlie Wi takes Kuala Lumpur Open
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Charlie Wi won his first big
tournament as a professional yesterday taking the Mild Seven
Kuala Lumpur Open by four strokes from Chinese number one Zhiang
Lianwei and Taiwan's Lu Wen-teh.
A smoky haze again settled on the Saujana Golf and Country
Club but could not stop the 25-year-old Korean-American firing a
four-under-par 68 to win the Asian PGA Omega Tour event with a
four round total of 277, 11-under-par.
Zhang closed with a 67 and Lu a 69 but could not stop Wi
getting his big day, despite having to sit through a 90-minute
holdup caused by a rainstorm.
"I had to sit there for over an hour and let all those
thoughts go through my mind. I was thinking about all the things
that could go wrong," said Wi.
The break looked to have affected Wi after he bogeyed the
eighth. On the par four next, however, he hit an eight iron to
three feet and holed the putt for a birdie.
"I am a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing. To be honest I
really did not play well this week. I am normally a good ball
striker but at the moment I am struggling.
"The thing that really saved me this week was my putter," said
Wi, who won US$48,450.
As expected Zhang, winner of the previous two Volvo Masters in
Malaysia, made a bold bid for victory on the back nine.
The Shenzhen based player, fresh from his joint sixth place
finish in the European Masters on the European Tour, reached
eight under for the tournament after 13 holes and lay two behind
Wi.
"I could feel Zhang breathing down my neck. I know what he is
capable of and just how well he can putt," said Wi, who turned
pro in 1995 after a distinguished college career in the United
States.
Zhang, however, could not keep the momentum going and bogeyed
14 and 16.
American Clay Devers, Korean Jun Tae-hyun and Myanmar's Kyi
Hla Han finished in fourth place on four under (284) with rounds
of 69, 69 and 70 respectively.
The next tour event is the Yokohama Singapore PGA Championship
at Raffles Country Club from Oct. 2.
Leading scores:
277 - Charlie Wi (Kor) 67-73-69-68
281 - Zhang Lianwei (Chn) 71-73-70-67, Lu Wen-Teh (Twn)
75-67-70-69
284 - Clay Devers (USA) 73-69-73-69, Jun Tae-yun (Kor) 73-72-70-
69, Kyi Hla Han (Bma) 74-71-69-70
285 - Jim Rutledge (Can) 71-72-72-70, Felix Casas (Phi) 72-69-72-72
286 - M. Ramayah (Mas) 75-71-71-69, Thaworn Wiratchant (Tha) 71-
74-71-70, Rafael Ponce (Ecu) 72-74-70-70, Prayad Marksaeng
(Tha) 72-72-68-74, Chou Hung-Nan (Tpe) 69-70-71-76
287 - Andrew Bonhomme (Aus) 74-74-71-68, Hsieh Yu-Shu (Twn)
70-76-69-72, Soe Kyaw Naing (Mya) 71-75-68-73, Kenny Walker
(Sco) 72-70-72-73, Craig Kamps (Rsa) 70-69-74-74
288 - Rob Stephens (Aus) 71-72-76-69, Chen Liang-Hsi (Tpe) 71-75-
71-71, Lee Petters (UAE) 71-72-72-73, Aaron Meeks (USA) 74-
69-71-74, Choi Kyung-ju (Kor) 66-76-72-74