ON TOUR
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WESTWOOD claims<br />
second Thailand Golf<br />
Championship<br />
Lee Westwood claimed a unique Thailand Golf Championship<br />
double when he staged a fabulous fight back with a final round fiveunder-par<br />
67 to win the US$1 million Asian Tour event on Sunday.<br />
The former world number one won the inaugural edition in 2011 and<br />
made it another victory to remember by signing off with a four-day<br />
total of eight-under-par 280 at the Amata Spring Country Club.<br />
Overnight leader Marcus Fraser of Australia and Germany’s Martin<br />
Kaymer had their chances to force extra-time with Westwood but fell<br />
just short on the 72nd hole and settled for a share of second place<br />
one shot behind.<br />
India’s Anirban Lahiri did not get the win he wanted as he signed<br />
off with a 73 to share sixth place with Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee<br />
and American Jonathan Moore at the Thai showpiece. The 27-yearold,<br />
however, earned a well-deserved place at the 144th Open<br />
at St. Andrews in 2015 as one of the top four players who were not<br />
otherwise exempted from the world’s oldest Major.<br />
Westwood was delighted with his win as he overcame intense<br />
pressure to lift the prestigious title again. ‘When I won the Thailand<br />
Golf Championship in 2011, I had a pretty big lead. But this win is<br />
obviously very special as it was a very tight day out there and I<br />
didn’t get off to the best of starts and I had lots of work to do,’ said<br />
Westwood.<br />
Starting the round two shots back of Fraser, Westwood seemed<br />
to have fallen out of the equation when he opened with two<br />
successive bogeys. But the Englishman showed his mettle with a<br />
stunning comeback where he fired four straight birdies starting from<br />
the par-four sixth hole. He continued his amazing birdie blitz by<br />
marking his card with more red numbers on holes 11, 14 and 15 to<br />
seal his second title.<br />
‘My caddy, Billy told me there were opportunities to pick some<br />
shots up in the middle of the round after I made those two bogeys.<br />
I did that and didn’t drop any more shots and gave myself lots of<br />
chances,’ said Westwood.<br />
‘This is my last event of the year and it’s nice to finish with a win and<br />
go into Christmas and start the New Year with confidence. I know<br />
what I’ve got to work on and I’ll be doing that over the next six<br />
weeks before the season starts again,’ added the Englishman.