Double delight for Thanpisit as he wins Khon Kaen title and Order of Merit crown

Double delight for Thanpisit as he wins Khon Kaen title and Order of Merit crown

Thanpisit Omsin poses with the trophy. photo: credit
Thanpisit Omsin poses with the trophy. photo: credit

Thanpisit Omsin ended the Thailand PGA Tour season with a second title of the year and the Order of Merit crown yesterday.

The 21-year-old star claimed a two-shot victory at the three-million-baht Singha-SAT Khon Kaen Championship at Singha Park Khonkaen Golf Club.

The victory, which was worth 360,000 baht, propelled the Ayutthaya native from third place to the top of the money list with 715,450 baht.

Raththee Sirithanakunsak, who was the money leader before the start of the tournament, slipped to second place with 441,691.67 baht.

Nitithorn Thippong was third with 432,908 baht.

Starting the day at the top of the leaderboard, Thanpisit shot a two-under-par 70 yesterday to finish on 14-under 274, two shots ahead of Jaturon Duangphaichoom, who closed with a 68.

Two birdies in his three opening holes set the tone for Thanpisit who, despite a double bogey on the seventh, went on to pick up two more birdies on the back nine.

Pawin Ingkhapradit was third on nine-under 279 after a 69. Pijit Petchkasem and Chaiphat Koonmark, who shot matching 73s, shared fourth place on 280.

"I'm so happy. This is just beyond my expectation," said Thanpisit.

"I didn't think I would win two titles in one season and also the Order of Merit title," said Thanpisit, who beat Nattapong Putta in a sudden death play-off to win the Singha-SAT Prachinburi Classic at Kabin Buri Sport Club in September.

"My success this year just proved that if you keep at it, one day you will be successful."

Thanpisit felt his play-off win at Prachinburi Classic helped him deal with crucial situation better.

"When I won the Prachinburi Classic I didn't expect it to happen at all. But I learned from it. This time, I kept telling myself to just focus on my game. I know the chances to score were there," said Thanpisit.

"I didn't put pressure on myself about winning and it made me play better.

"It was quite windy during the final round today, so I just tried to keep the ball on the fairways and then focus on my short game on the greens," he added.

"Those two early birdies relaxed me. After that everything felt easy. I found the sand bunker on 15 but managed to save par there. It was then that I felt I had this in the bag."

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