Ababa bags Asean PGA Tour crown

MANILA, Philippines - Jhonnel Ababa fired a bogey-free three-under 69 to hold off Thai Atthaphon Sriboonkaew and nail his first ASEAN PGA Tour crown via a two-stroke victory in the Penang Championship at the Penang Golf Club in Malaysia over the weekend.

Ababa, who sizzled with a 65 in the third round to seize a three-shot lead, came through with clutch putts to frustrate Sriboonkaew, who threatened to within one twice, and pocket his biggest paycheck as a pro.

The Filipino ace, a three-time winner on the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour, pounced on Sriboonkaew’s three-putt miscue on No. 16 and finished with that 69 for an 18-under 270 total worth $9,031 purse (P388,333).

Sriboonkaew finished with a 68 and a 272. 

“I’m very, very happy with the win. Scoring a bogey-free round in the final group on the final day is very satisfying,” said Ababa.

“It’s definitely the biggest win of my career against some good players. I’ve been feeling very confident over the ball all week. I’ve been having a lot of fun out there, just enjoying playing golf and that has kept me very relaxed,” he added. 

Singapore’s Choo Tze Huang (69) and Thai Nakarintra Ratanakul (67), who both played college golf in the United States, finished joint third at 276.

The final round turned into a duel between Ababa,PGT “Player of the Year” in 2011 after three triumphs, and Atthaphon.

Four birdies in a five-hole stretch from the third saw Atthaphon draw within a stroke of Ababa but the Filipino responded with back-to-back birdies from No. 10 to build another three-shot cushion.

Atthaphon narrowed the gap again with two straight birdies of his own on Nos. 13 and 14 but a three-putt miscue on the 16th stymied his bid.

Michael BIbat rallied with a 68 to salvage joint ninth at 279 and win $1,062.