After a see-saw battle in the final round, Supamas Sangchan made a crucial birdie on the 18th hole to win the sixth SAT-TWT Open Road to World Ranking event at the Panorama Golf and Country Club in Nakhon Ratchasima yesterday.
Starting the day with a three-shot advantage over Kusuma Meechai, Supamas suffered four straight bogeys from the sixth to ninth holes.
Former LPGA Tour star Supamas, Kusuma and Trichat Cheenglab took turns to hold the lead.
However, Kusuma and Trichat both made a double bogey on the 17th as Supamas birdied the final hole for a 71 and a total of one-over-par 215 to beat the duo by three shots.
The 26-year-old from Sukhothai got 367,500 baht in prize money from her first win on the Thai Women's Professional Golf Association (Thai WPGA) Tour.
Trichat (74) and Kusuma (75) shared second place on 218 with each receiving 186,690 baht.
"I am overwhelmed by this win. It's my first title in three years. Since the Covid-19 outbreak began, I had not won anything until today. I am so proud of myself," said Supamas who last won in March 2019.
"I never gave up even after I made those successive bogeys. I tried to stay focused on what I was doing and fought my way back to victory."
Supamas, who normally plays in China and Taiwan, is currently using local events to sharpen her game for Japan's qualifying school in October.
"This title is a psychological boost for me before I go to Japan. My goal is to earn a card to compete on the Japan tour," she said.
Eastern Michigan University graduate Natai Apichonlati was the low amateur.
She finished tied 29th on 230.