Swede claims Malaysian Open after 11-year drought
KUALA LUMPUR : Eleven years of waiting ended for Sweden's Peter Hedblom when he claimed a thrilling one-stroke victory at the Maybank Malaysian Open on Sunday.The Swede prevailed in the heat of battle at Saujana Golf and Country Club, shooting a final round four-under-par 68 for an eight-under-par total of 280, edging out Frenchman Jean-Francois Lucquin, who signed off with the day's best score of 67.Spaniard Ignacio Garrido and England's Simon Dyson shared third place, a further stroke behind in the US$1.29 million championship co-sanctioned by the Asian and European tours.Asia's best performers were Thai duo Prom Meesawat and teenager Chinarat Phadungsil, signing off with rounds of 73 and 70 respectively for a share of seventh place on 284.Hedblom, whose lone victory on the European Tour was at the 1996 Moroccan Open, overcame an overnight three-shot deficit with a clinical display of golf that yielded six birdies against two dropped shots.But he needed to survive a shaky finish at the last hole, which he bogeyed by three-putting before sealing a long-awaited second victory."Unbelievable," said Hedblom, who won US$215,000. "I've been shaking. It's almost 11 years now and to win again, I've worked so hard to get back and try to win a tournament and now I've won it. It's unbelievable. "When you haven't won for that long, you question whether you can win again."The battle for the Maybank Malaysian Open crown was a touch-and-go affair. At one stage, five players were tied for the lead on yet another steamy day at Saujana's Palm course, with seven other players within two shots of the pacesetters.Hedblom pulled clear of the pack with birdies on the 13th, 16th and 17th holes but caught a tricky lie with his second shot on the 18th, which ended on the edge of a bunker. But the Swede recovered with an exquisite chip onto the green and took three putts to hole out, making Lucquin pay for his costly three-putt bogey on the same hole.Marcus Higley of England and Argentinean Ricardo Gonzalez were overnight co-leaders. Higley closed with a 74 to finish equal fifth on 283 while Gonzalez slipped to 11th place after a disappointing 76. Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke shot a second straight 71 to finish tied 27th, while Ryder Cup teammate Lee Westwood of England carded a 74 for 42nd place. - AFP/de
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