Asian Tour Yearbook - 2022

Tempest on Tampines Second victory of season for emerging star Nitithorn Thippong (ABOVE) drained a crucial 15-foot par putt on the last to set the target. 83 I cannot describe my feelings right now. I have practiced so hard for this. I hit lot of greens this week and had a lot of birdie putts. I think my mentality was great. I did not think about the score, just the process. -NITITHORN THIPPONG I N T E R N AT I O N A L S E R I E S S I N G A P O R E TANAH ME R AH COUNTRY C LUB , TAMP I N E S COU R S E | AUGUST 11 -14, 2022 | P R IZE MON E Y US$1 . 5 M I LLI ON T he weather often has a say in how tournaments finish when the Asian Tour visits Southeast Asia. The region’s tropical storms, and in particular the electrical activity associated with them, often hamper play – even though they sweep through at speed. And very occasionally, mother nature leaves it to the very end to test the patience of players, organisers and indeed the fans. This was exactly the case at the International Series Singapore, where Thailand’s latest young pretender Nitithorn Thippong triumphed after a dramatic, protracted finish. After holing a brilliant pressure-packed 15-foot par-saving putt on the daunting yet delectable par-five 18th to take the clubhouse lead on 16 under, Nitithorn, playing in the penultimate group, then had to wait and see if anyone in the last group – consisting of Malaysian Gavin Green, Chinese-Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang and Phachara Khongwatmai from Thailand – could catch him. And it proved to be a much longer wait than expected as the last group were forced off the 18th hole for 40 minutes because of lightning, with Chan on 16 under and Green one back. When the action resumed Chan, who just before the weather delay had found water with his tee shot and entered a heated debate with rules officials over his ball’s line of entry, made a double bogey while Green narrowly missed a 15-foot birdie putt. “This is fantastic, just fantastic!” said 25-year-old Nitithorn, who earned a career- best cheque for US$270,000. “I cannot describe my feelings right now. I have practiced so hard for this. I hit lot of greens this week and had a lot of birdie putts. I think my mentality was great. I did not think about the score, just the process.” He closed with a bogey-free three- under-par 69 to beat Green, Phachara and Richard T. Lee from Canada by one shot. Green and Phachara both fired 71s, while Lee returned a 67.