Thailand’s Tawit Polthai broke through for his maiden Asian Development Tour (ADT) title at the PKNS Selangor Masters, fighting off a late charge by Filipino veteran Juvic Pagunsan at Seri Selangor Golf Club.
Tawit ended his campaign with a round of two-under-par 69 for a 72-hole aggregate of 16-under-par 268 (70-64-65-69), three shots ahead of Juvic (72-66-67-66). Thailand’s Poom Pattaropong claimed third place on 11-under-par 273, one shot clear of compatriot Runchanapong Youprayong.
The US$200,000 PKNS Selangor Masters is the season-opener of this year’s ADT, and is co-sanctioned by the domestic Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour. The field of 144 players is made up of 80 from the ADT, 40 from the PGM, and 24 tournament invitations.
PKNS Selangor Masters winners and VIPs
Taking a five-shot lead into the final round, Tawit looked to be cruising to victory when he extended his advantage to eight shots at the turn. The 30-year-old from Bangkok was playing imperiously, chalking up five birdies against just one bogey on his front nine.
The vastly-experienced Juvic was not about to throw in the towel. The 46-year-old turned on the heat with three birdies in a row from Holes 11 to 13, adding another at the 15th. And with the highly-respected Seri Selangor layout beginning to bare its teeth, Tawit dropped shots on 11, 12 and 14, sandwiched by a birdie at Hole 13, to see his lead cut to two shots with three holes to play
However, a bogey by Juvic at the tight par-four 16th, when he failed to get up and down after missing the green, derailed the Filipino’s charge. After both players parred their last two holes, an elated Tawit was drenched by his fellow Thai players on the 18th green in an early Songkran celebration.
“I’ve waited a long time to win an ADT tournament, and now I’ve finally made it, so I’m very happy. This is the first tournament of the season so it’s a good start to the year. I will focus on the ADT this year and try to finish in the top 10 on the Order of Merit to get my Asian Tour card,” said Tawit, who was playing in the event on a tournament invitation.
“I felt a little bit of pressure for the first two rounds because I had an invite for this tournament, but after the first two rounds I just went from there,” he added.
This was Tawit’s fourth appearance in the PKNS Selangor Masters, with his previous best finish of fourth coming in the 2023 championship. The victory earned him a handsome cheque for US$35,000.
Tawit’s score matched the tournament low total recorded by his legendary compatriot Thaworn Wiratchant at Kota Permai in 2012, and bettered the previous low score at Seri Selangor of 15-under-par by Malaysia’s Ben Leong in the 2008 event.
Juvic was pleased with the way he played this week, despite coming up short. The Filipino ace has two ADT titles to his name and one Asian Tour win at the 2007 Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational.
“I almost made it, but I missed my second shot at Hole 16 and made bogey, so that was the turning point. I’m very happy with the way I scored, and it’s been a good week for me. I always enjoy playing in Malaysia,” said Juvic, who has also won twice on the Japan Golf Tour.
Malaysian Hariz Hezri impressed with rounds of 69, 73, 66 and 72 to finish as leading amateur in joint 11th place on four-under-par 280. The 19-year-old’s performance was even more impressive as he upstaged his professional compatriots.
“Overall, it’s been a pretty good week. I learnt a lot from playing with the pros, especially on how to manage my game. It’s a good confidence builder for me, especially yesterday when I shot 66,” said Hariz, who is a first-year business student at Universiti Utara Malaysia.
Korean amateur Jung Jiwon, who earned his place in the tournament by winning last week’s Selangor International Junior Golf Championship at Seri Selangor, did well to finish joint 19th on one under-par 283 (70-72-71-70), along with Malaysian amateur Aiden Kei (69-75-67-72).
It was also an impressive outing for 14-year-old Japanese amateur prodigy Daichi Hayashi, who ended his fourth PKNS Selangor Masters appearance in tied 24th place on even-par 284 (67-71-74-72). Based in Kuala Lumpur, the talented teenager trains with the PKNS Golf Academy.
The RM10,000 bonus for best Malaysian professional went to 2022 PKNS Selangor Masters champion Shahriffuddin Ariffin, who was joint 14th on two-under-par 282 (69-74-70-69). The 25-year-old from Malacca also pocketed US$2,768 from the regular prize pool.
The PKNS Selangor Masters is promoted by PKNS Golf Management Services, which is a subsidiary of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS), who have been the title sponsor since 2022
The Selangor Masters was first staged in 2007 as a local event before joining the Asian Tour the following year, when Malaysia’s Ben Leong emerged triumphant. It was played on the Asian Tour until 2014, before returning as an Asian Development Tour event in 2022 when Shahriffuddin became the second Malaysian to claim the title. Seri Selangor has been the venue on each occasion, except in 2011 and 2012 when the tournament was played at Kota Permai Golf & Country Club.
