Fung claims maiden Asian crown

BANGKOK: Malaysia’s Nich-olas Fung clinched his first Asian Tour title at the Queen’s Cup in Thailand on Sunday with a solid putt on the 18th hole that sealed his one-shot victory.

The triumph marked a career breakthrough for Fung, who had failed to achieve a top-10 finish in the previous eight tournaments this season.

The slight 27-year-old carded a steady 66-68-68-67 during the $500,000 tournament on the southern Thai island of Samui, where conditions were often blustery. Fung, who started the final round one shot ahead, briefly fell out of the lead after bogeying his second hole.

But he overcame nerves to land five birdies and the final four-foot putt, sealing his spot at the top of the leaderboard.

On Fung’s heels was local rookie and rising star Jazz Janewattananond, who took second place with two bogey-free final rounds, coming in one stroke behind at 270.It was the 21-year-old’s second best finish of the year after winning his own maiden Asian Tour title at the Bashundhara Bangladesh Open.