Poosit wins Defence Raya golf title

Poosit Supupramai of Thailand claimed a sensational victory at the inaugural Defence Raya Golf Championship after closing with a three-under-par 69 on Sunday.

The win was especially sweet as the 24-year-old Thai was a late entry in the $120,000 Asian Development Tour (ADT) event as his visa was only approved last Monday.

His patience eventually paid off when he won his first ADT title by one shot with a winning total of 14-under-par 202 in the event which was reduced to 54 holes due to bad weather.

Luke Joy of England posted a 67 to finish second, one shot from the champion, while Wolmer Murillo (67) of Venezuela and Malcolm Kokocinski (68) of Sweden finished in a share of third place at the Defence Raya Golf and Country Club.

The sweet-swinging Poosit was delighted to taste success after going through lean years where his best result was a tied fourth finish on the ADT in 2014. He also won his only title on the local circuit in the same year.

With the victory Poosit also wrote a small slice of history by joining his brother Sattaya, a three-time ADT winner, as the only brothers to have tasted success on the ADT.

The Thai won $21,000 and moved to 12th position on the Order of Merit. He is now in the running to secure an Asian Tour card for 2018 if he can finish inside the top-five on the final Merit ranking.

"I haven't played good for a few years. I think the main reason is because of my mental game. I always think that my swing is not good enough," Poosit said.

"I had a talk with my coach and family and they really made me feel comfortable. I'm so happy I won this event for them."

--IANS

ajb/bg