March 12, 2010: Masamichi Ito became the first Japanese golfer to win the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final when he closed with a three under par 69 and then beat Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Chi Hsien with a birdie four on the first hole of a sudden-death play-off on the Faldo Course at Mission Hills Golf Club in China.
The precocious 14 year-old from Kanagawa started the day five shots adrift of Hsieh but he made up all but one of them with a fine one under par outward nine of 35 and then came home in two under par 34 to tie with Hsieh on two under par 214.
The pair proceeded to the 486-yard par-5 18th for the first hole of the play-off where Ito promptly hit a glorious 7-wood into the centre of the green and then calmly 2-putted from 12-feet for a winning birdie four.
It was Ito’s first victory outside his native country and means that he will now receive an invitation to both the Faldo Series European Grand Final, to be played at the Lough Erne Resort, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, on September 21-23, and to a major event on this year’s Asian Tour.
“It’s a big moment for me,” admitted Ito. “It’s a great honour to win a trophy with Sir Nick Faldo’s name on it and I know it will open a lot of doors for me.
“I’m really looking forward to travelling to Lough Erne for the European Grand Final. It will be a totally new experience for me but I’d like to think I can play well.”
Last year, Ito became the youngest golfer ever to make the cut on the Japan Golf Tour and he lived up to his burgeoning reputation with rounds of 75, 70 and 69 that left him tied with Hsieh and four shots ahead of the impressive 19 year-old Indian, Rashid Khan, whose brave bid to become the first golfer to win the title three times in-a-row ended when a two over par 74 left him stranded in third place on two over par 218.
Khan’s compatriot S. “Chikka” Chikkarangappa claimed fourth place with a closing 71 for a four over par total of 219 while another Indian, Abinav Lohan, Thailand’s Donlaphatchai Niyomchon and two Malaysians, Iszaimi Ismail and first round leader Gavin Green, shared fifth place two shots further adrift.
Meanwhile, the Girls’ prize went to Thailand’s Thidapa Suwannapura, who put together rounds of 72, 74 and 74 to lead from start-to-finish and claim a two shot victory over Liu Yi Chen from Chinese Taipei. England’s Holly Clyburn, the reigning English and French Under-18 champion, posted a one over par closing round of 73 to share third place with Chinese Taipei’s Chien Pei Yun on ten over par 226.
Suwannapura started the final round with a two shot advantage over Liu and she played impressive percentage golf to stay ahead of her nearest rivals.
“I wouldn’t say I played well, but I did what I had to do,” said the 17 year-old from Bangkok. “Today wasn’t about shooting a low score. I set out to play nice and steady and that’s what I managed to do.”
“I’m really excited,” she added. “It isn’t every day that you receive a trophy from a six-time Major champion. It’s been a big thrill.”
There were a total of five separate categories in this year’s Championship, three for boys and two for girls, and the leaders in these categories were as follows: Boys’ Under-21 – Hsieh Chi Hsien (CHT) 70-70-74-214, Abhinav Lohan (Ind) 82-68-71-221, Donlaphatchai Niyomchon (Tha) 76-71-74-221, Iszaimi Ismail (Mal) 75-72-74- 221. Boys’ Under-18 – Rashid Khan (Ind) 74-70-74-218, Khalin Joshi (Ind) 75-75-73223, Fahmi Reza (Ina) 77-76-73-226. Boys’ Under-16 – Masamichi Ito (Jap) 75-70-69-214, S. Chikkarangappa (Ind) 72-76-71-219, Gavin Green (Mal) 70-76-75-221. Girls’ Under-21 – Thidapa Suwannapura (Tha) 72-74-74-220, Chien Pei Yun (CHT) 77-75-74-226, Holly Clyburn (Eng) 78-75-73-226. Girls Under-16 – Yi Chen LIU (CHT) 73-75-74-222, Pinrath Loomboonruang (Tha) 81-75-74-230.
The Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, a R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking event, was supported by major partners Mission Hills, The R&A and UBS and was played under strict tournament conditions over three rounds on the Faldo Course. Boys and girls played from different tees with the Faldo Series Asia challenge trophy presented by Faldo to the player with the lowest gross score, boy or girl.
Also backed by Alpine Creations, the new golf wear partner of the Faldo Series Asia, players received expert advice from Faldo himself as well as other guest speakers during the tournament week.
Endorsed by the Asian Tour, the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation and the Guangdong Golf Association, the five age-category winners – three boys and two girls – have been invited by Faldo to compete in the 2010 Faldo Series European Grand Final to be staged over the Faldo Course at the Lough Erne Resort, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, on September 21-23. The overall Asian champion, boy and girl, will also be invited to play in a flagship event on the Asian Tour and the Ladies European Tour respectively.
During the Grand Final, the Faldo Series Asia also initiated a number of grass roots activities as part of its bid to create simultaneous access to the sport for a wider and younger audience. These included support of the Mission Hills Junior Tour which has been launched to provide opportunities for junior golfers of all means aged nine and upwards and will act as an official feeder to Faldo Series Asia tournaments in China, including the Grand Final for its overall champions, boy and girl.