Oct 01, 2017: Gavin Green of Malaysia shed his bridesmaid tag by winning his first Asian Tour title at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters on Sunday, and dedicated the win to his late grandfather. Gaganjeet Bhullar and Arjun Atwal played well to finish inside the top ten.
Newly appointed Asian captain, Atwal celebrated the week with a poised 71 to secure his spot inside the top ten.
Bhullar underlined his return to the top with another solid week on the Asian Tour. He shot 70 in the final round.
After finishing runner-up three times this year, Green closed with a one-under-par 71 to pull off a style two-shot victory at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club.
He finished with a winning total of nine-under-par 279 to defeat his closest challengers Adilson Da Silva (69) of Brazil, Scott Vincent (70) of Zimbabwe, Keith Horne (71) of South Africa and overnight leader Juvic Pagunsan (74) of the Philippines.
Green was delighted to taste success and overcome the heartbreak in Korea where he finished second and was later informed that his grandfather, Gerald Green, passed away from a heart-attack.
He made amends at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters where he was tied at one point with Vincent and Horne. But as his competitors faded, the young Malaysian birdied 16 and closed with two pars to cruise to victory.
The big-hitting Malaysia took home a prize purse of US$160,00 for his victory and overtook Scott Hend of Australia as the Order of Merit leader.
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- Green closed with four birdies against three bogeys. He held his nerve to hold a crucial six-feet birdie on the 16thhole and made an important up-and-down for par from the bunker on 17.
- Horne and Vincent battled tooth-and-nail but disappointing bogeys on 18 dashed their title hopes.
- Green is now the fifth Malaysian after Danny Chia, Airil Rizman, Ben Leong and Nicholas Fung to win on the Asian Tour. This is the first time two Malaysians won in the same year. Fung won in Thailand in June.
- It was a winning debut for Green at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club. He also becomes only the second Malaysian to win the Mercuries Taiwan Masters after Chia’s win in 2015.
- Green had earlier finished runner-up at the Hero Indian Open, Yeangder Heritage in Chinese Taipei and Shinhan Donghae Open in Korea.
- With the win, Green leaps to the top of the Order of Merit with earnings of US$527,346. He is now in the running to become the first Malaysian to win the accolade.
- Scott Vincent is the only Zimbabwean in the elite field. His tied runner-up finish was his best result in 2017. He continues his search for his first Asian Tour victory.
- Keith Horne’s birdie on 18 to force a play-off narrowly sailed past the hole. He missed his par putt from close range. The second place result is his best finish on the Asian Tour.
- Pagunsan, the only Filipino to win the Order of Merit, struggled on the greens. He made 35 putts, his highest this week. His 10-year title drought on the Asian Tour continues.
Asian Tour Release
