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Pavit’s win is ‘all for the King!’

Monday, October 17, 2016

Prize presentation

All for the King!” was the chant from the audience when Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert prevailed over Asian Tour number one Anirban Lahiri in a play-off yesterday, which marked his first Asian Tour victory at the Venetian Macao Open.
The 27-year-old Thai beat India’s Lahiri, shooting a seven under par 64 and 65 respectively in the final round to tie at 16 under par 268 at the Macau Golf and Country Club.
Pavit earned USD198,000 after triumphing in extra time with a birdie on the par five 18th hole after Lahiri. The 2014 Venetian Macao Open champion, found the water hazard with his second shot following an errant drive en-route to a bogey.
Pavit dedicated his win to the late King Bhumibol of Thailand, as it has been an emotional week for the Thai residents and players.
“All the Thai players are very sad after hearing the news back home. The King is our inspiration this week. Our lives and this trophy are for the King. I dedicate this win to the King,” he said.
The 2016 Venetian Macao Open winner was a five-time winner on the Asian Development Tour where he was number one in 2014. He only had one top-10 finish on the Asian Tour in 65 starts previously.
According to him, he did not expect to win, as he does not even hold an Asian Tour Status.
Pavit said: “I didn’t think I would be in a play-off but I got lucky as Anirban hit his second shot into the water. All the hard work paid off this week. […] I just wanted to play my best. This win will now give me a two-year exemption,” he told the press.
The third Thai ‘first-time’ winner on the Asian tour this season also admitted that he did not feel nervous throughout the tournament, as he had “nothing to lose.”
“I had nothing to lose in the play-off. My caddie, my mum and dad texted me to say I had nothing to lose. Kiradech (Aphibarnrat) also sent me a message to say “Come on, you can do it,” and that was a big motivation for me,” said Pavit in the press conference.
Big-hitting Pavit turned a one-shot deficit into a three-shot lead with some skilled putting, reaching six under through 13 holes of play; he was seemingly coasting to a well-deserved victory.
Lahiri, who looked out of contention and trailed by five at one stage, produced his best stuff coming home as he nailed seven successive birdies to force a play-off.
Yet, the 29-year-old Lahiri was obviously frustrated by his loss.
“I was happy I won the toss and I wanted to go first [in the play-off]. I think I rushed into that and I was trying to lay up on the second shot but the rough was a bit thick,” he said.
“I didn’t even think of the hazard being there. I guess that was unfortunate to finish like that. I’m happy with the way I played the back nine but disappointed I finished second again,” Lahiri added.
The runner up result has secured him entry into the next week’s CIMB Classic Malaysia via the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit.
Chinese Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang shot a superb 65 to be tied third with co-overnight leader Chikkarangappa S. of India; both finished three shots behind the play-off duo.
“I was hitting all over the place but I managed to hang in there. I lost some momentum on 11 again, making that bogey. I can take some positives from this. I’ve never seen a finish like that before,” he said.
“I know how strong Anirban was in the head. He had a bad start with some bad tee shots but the way he came back, that was amazing,” added the 23-year-old Chikkarangappa, whose third straight top-10 locked up his tour card for 2017.
Chan, already a two-time winner this season, wished he had a stronger start to put the pressure on the leaders. “My back nine was perfect but not the first nine, I had many tries for birdies but my putting speed wasn’t good. The leaders were also too far in front after that,” he said.
As previously reported, the total prize fund this year has reached USD$1.1 million, making it Asian Tour’s most lucrative full field tournament.
President of Sands China, Wilfred Wong, thanked the sponsors of the Open and its participants and relayed that the tournament is one of the most anticipated events in The Venetian’s calendar. He also said that he sees both Pavit and Lahiri as winners of this year’s open.