Patience pays off for Mansell with breakthrough Singapore win

Singapore: Richard Mansell sank a crucial birdie putt at the final hole to win a first DP World Tour title at the weather-hit Porsche Singapore Classic by a single shot on Sunday.

Needing to avoid a playoff with Japan´s Keita Nakajima at Laguna National Golf Resort Club, the Englishman reached the green in two at the par-five 18th.

He then rolled his eagle attempt to within six feet of the pin before holding his nerve to drain his winning putt to clinch his maiden DP World Tour title with a final-round six-under-par 66. “I wish this win had come earlier. I played so well today to get into that position and I´ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” said the 29-year-old.

“So many people have supported and believed in me when I stopped doing it myself.” Victory was particularly special as Mansell had come close to winning on multiple occasions on the tour, only to fall short and struggle with self-belief.

“I had quite a few close calls and didn´t get it done. Looking back, I probably should have kept doing what I was doing and it (a win) probably would have happened a lot sooner,” he said. “I tried to change and became quite good at pointing the finger at other people. I was just not enjoying this much and I got a little lost.

“It took a lot of work this past six months.” Nakajima carded seven birdies for a bogey-free 65 to finish alone in second place. Northern Ireland´s Tom McKibbin and France´s Adrien Saddier ended the week tied for third.

A three-day monsoon surge in Singapore forced the cancellation of the first round on Thursday, leading the tournament to be decided over 54 holes.

Leading scores:

200 - Richard Mansell (ENG) 68-66-66

201 - Keita Nakajima (JPN) 67-69-65

202 - Adrien Saddier (FRA) 66-68-68, Tom McKibbin (NIR) 69-65-68

203 - Marcus Armitage (ENG) 65-70-68