Singapore Classic: Strydom fires his way to second DP World Tour title, as China’s Ding Wenyi ends on high
- South African Ockie Strydom shoots 9-under-par 63 in final round at Laguna National Resort Golf Club
- Finland’s Sami Valimaki finishes a shot behind after his 66 in the fourth round
South Africa’s Ockie Strydom shot a nine-under-par 63 on Sunday to power up the leader board and clinch the Singapore Classic by one stroke from Finland’s Sami Valimaki.
Strydom finished at 19-under overall at Laguna National Resort Golf Club for his second win on the DP World Tour after claiming the Alfred Dunhill championship in South Africa in December.
Valimaki, who started the final round two shots behind overnight leaders Wang Jeung-hun and Alejandro del Rey, shot a 66 to finish one back.
Chinese amateur Ding Wenyi finished on 11-under after his final round 69, and was left to rue his 76 in the third round which ended any hopes of a top 10 spot.
Tom McKibbin, a 20-year-old from Northern Ireland, who was the first-round leader after shooting a 64, finished in a tie for 11th at 13-under.
Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho, meanwhile, said the week had been “a great experience” despite missing the cut by one shot.
Playing his first major tournament as a professional, Kho said he had fun “being in this environment” and felt like he really belonged.
“Surprisingly, it felt like just like another event. I feel like I’ve prepared really well for this part of my career, so it just felt like a continuation of what I’ve been doing for the past couple years,” he said.
Kho shot back-to-back 71s, the second of which was delayed until Saturday morning by heavy rain, and said he was not too disheartened to have missed the cut.
“I felt like I did a lot of things great this week, I just didn’t quite put it together,” he said. “But there are going to be weeks like that. I stayed really competitive and it’s just a lot to learn from and look forward to the rest of season.
“I’m feeling a sense of belonging as a professional golfer out here on tour, so I’m just really looking forward to the rest of the season and competing hard.”
