KUALA LUMPUR: Galven Green reaffirmed his status as the current top golfer domestically by securing two wins in as many tournaments on the Toyota Tour.
The 25-year-old surged back from a two-shot deficit in the last three holes, ultimately triumphing over Nicholas Fung in a playoff to bag the Corolla Cross Cup at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club today.
Galven and Nicholas, closing with 69 and 68 respectively, finished the 54-hole regulation play tied at matching 13-under 203s, leading to a sudden-death decider at the par-four 18th, where Galven clinched victory with a decisive birdie.
Two shots behind through 15 holes, Galven narrowed the gap with a birdie on the 16th, then caught up with Nicholas after the latter's costly bogey on the 17th
"It was a tough front nine, I'd say. I wasn't really finding my rhythm, and my shots weren't at their best. However, I managed to turn things around in the back nine, hitting more solid shots and sinking some putts," said Galven, who won the season-opening Tun Ahmad Sarji Trophy in February.
"The playoff, it was a solid drive, followed by a good second shot, and made the putt from about 12 feet."
The win netted Galven RM31,500 while Nicholas settled for RM20,700.
In the women's championship, it was equally nail-biting with Audrey Tan showing nerves of steel to birdie the final hole for a two-shot victory over amateur Tan Ying Ying and Amalia Shahzan to mark the maiden title of her professional career.
Audrey's closing 76 gave her a winning total of eight-over 224.
"I maintained my one-shot lead from the beginning until the 16th hole, when Amalia caught up with me after she birdied and I bogeyed," said Audrey, who pocketed RM10,000 for her win.
"It was a nail-biting experience although the final results may not fully reflect it, as I ended up winning by two strokes. The competition was incredibly tight, and it all came down to the very last hole."
LEADING FINAL ROUND SCORES
Men (top 10) — 203: Galven Green 67-67-69 (won on the first playoff hole), Nicholas Fung 68-67-68;
208: Kenneth De Silva 66-76-66, V. Khavish 71-68-69, Sukree Othman 69-68-71;
209: Ben Leong 68-71-70, Paul San 69-69-71;
210: Kim Leun Kwang 71-70-69;
211: Shahriffuddin Ariffin 74-71-66;
212: Malcolm Ting 67-74-71, R. Nachimuthu 70-70-72.
Women (top five) — 224: Audrey Tan 75-74-76;
226: Tan Ying Ying (am) 74-79-73, Amalia Shahzan 75-76-75;
227: Ainil Johani Bakar 73-76-78;
230: Pang Hee Jie (am) 78-76-76.