Malaysia’s Khavish Varadan held his nerve to secure his first professional victory, defeating Thailand’s Jazz Janewattanond in a two-hole playoff at the Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters held at Royal Long An Golf & Country Club.
The pair finished tied at 15-under-par after regulation play in the US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event. Varadan had set the clubhouse target with a birdie on the final hole, two groups ahead, before Janewattanond responded with three closing birdies to force extra holes.
“It feels great,” said Varadan after lifting the trophy. “It’s always special to win a golf tournament against a strong field, and to get my first professional victory means a lot. I’ve been knocking on the door for a while, so it’s nice to finally get it done.”
The win was especially meaningful for the Malaysian, who had come up short in a playoff earlier. “I thought, here we go again. But honestly, I felt more comfortable this time. Not that I wasn’t before, but I felt more settled. Hopefully, I don’t have to be in too many more playoffs – it would be nice to get the job done a bit quicker.”
Varadan also credited the presence of his father throughout the week as a key source of support. “It’s always great to have my dad with me. Golf can be a very lonely sport, so having that support around the course means a lot.”
He added a heartfelt note of appreciation after his breakthrough win. “Thanks to my family, my sisters for putting up with me, and my coaches for tuning me up and staying patient with me. This one’s for you guys.”
Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand. Photo: Asian Development Tour
Thailand’s Witchayapat Sinsrang claimed third place after a flawless, bogey-free 64 – one of the lowest rounds of the day, matched by Argentina’s Frank Scorzato. The third spot was shared with Vietnam’s Nguyen Nhat Long (68), Korea’s Seungtaek Oh (69), Canada’s Henry Lee (69) and Indonesia’s Jonathan Wijono (71), who had started the day as the overnight leader.
“Today I played really well. I drove it well, my irons were good and I putted very well, so I just tried to give myself as many chances as possible. Everything came together,” said Witchayapat.
“I’ve been thinking about the wind — it’s been coming from the same direction each day, so that helped me plan how to play each hole and decide which way to go,” he added.
A group of players finished tied for eighth, including Scorzato, Australia’s Adam Coull (66), Hong Kong’s Hoho Yue (66), American Henry Chung (67), and Thailand’s Newport Laparojkit (68) and Poopirat Klinkesorn (69).
The Asian Development Tour now heads to Thailand for the Singha-SAT ADT Hua Hin Championship from April 22–25 at Royal Hua Hin Golf Course.
