SINGAPORE
\nThailand\u2019s Nitithorn Thippong seized the initiative as his rivals faltered on Sunday, closing with a flawless three-under-par 69 to win International Series Singapore.
\nHis four-day, 16-under-par total of 272 was enough to leapfrog previous leaders Gavin Green and Phachara Khongwatmai and hand him a one-shot victory on Sunday at the sun-baked Tanah Merah Country Club.
\nThe Singapore tournament was part of the new International Series, which received funding of $400 million from the Saudi-backed LIV.
\nThe final day of the event was set for a dramatic showdown, with 11 players within three shots of the lead going into the back nine.
\nHowever, it was Nitithorn who eventually reigned supreme, crediting his mental game for helping him win his biggest career title to date.
\n\u201cI\u2019m really (at a) loss for words with this victory. It\u2019s my biggest win so far and I cannot describe my feeling. I was fully focused on the process and playing my own game the entire week,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cI kept believing in myself and did not allow myself to be distracted by other pressures. I\u2019m so happy I managed to win this week.\u201d
\nMalaysia\u2019s Green, who had led the tournament since the second round, could have forced a playoff with Nitithorn had his birdie putt from 15 feet dropped into the hole at the last.
\nGreen instead settled for a share of second place with overnight co-leader Phachara, of Thailand, and Canada\u2019s Richard T Lee, all of whom signed off with identical 273s.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t think the last putt could have gone any closer to the hole. I thought I had made it. But it stopped breaking right at the end. But it is what it is. This is golf. I gave it a chance and that was all I could do,\u201d said Green.
\nAustralia\u2019s Todd Sinnott shot the day\u2019s lowest score of 64 to finish in a tie for fifth with Taiwan\u2019s Chan Shih-chang.
\nChan looked to be heading for a grandstand finish after snatching the outright lead on 16-under with a birdie on 14. However, a disastrous triple bogey on 18 dashed all hopes of securing his fifth win on the Asian Tour.
\nLIV Golf rebel Patricj Reed, meanwhile, could not live up to his pre-tournament billing, blaming his putting woes for a tied 31st-place finish, eight strokes behind Nitithorn.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SINGAPORE Thailand\u2019s Nitithorn Thippong seized the initiative as his rivals faltered on Sunday, closing with a flawless three-under-par 69 to win International Series Singapore. His four-day, 16-under-par total of 272 was enough to leapfrog previous leaders Gavin Green and Phachara Khongwatmai and hand him a one-shot victory on Sunday at the sun-baked Tanah Merah Country […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":277257,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-277236","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n