Miri: Shakhawat Sohel of Bangladesh fired a sensational eagle on the first play-off hole to win his maiden Asian Development Tour (ADT) title at the Miri Championship yesterday.
Shakhawat returned with a solid five-under-par 67 in regulation play to tie with rising star Nitithorn Thippong (70) of Thailand on seven-under-par 281 at the US$58,000 ADT event.
When they returned to the 18th hole for the play-off, it was a cool and composed Shakhawat who produced the shot of the day when he chipped-in for eagle from 40 yards to pip overnight co-leader Nitithorn, who had earlier set up a 12-foot birdie putt from the bunker.
The victory was a dream come true for Shakhawat, who erased the heartbreak of losing in a play-off on the ADT in Malaysia in July. With this triumph, he became the second Bangladeshi to win on the ADT after Siddikur Rahman.
"I'm feeling great. I can't express what I'm feeling. This is my first victory in an international tournament and I'm very proud and happy," said the 33-year-old, who won $9,503 and earned six Official World Golf Ranking points (OWGR).
"When I saw my eagle chip disappearing into the hole, I was just too excited. I screamed and celebrated. I threw my cap as well," he laughed.
He was three shots off the pace at the start of the final 18 holes but he took full advantage of a solid short game which resulted in a flawless round highlighted by five birdies.
