Korean teenage star wins Malaysian Open
BY Bruce Young | Asian Tour | 2010 Malaysian Open | Noh Seung-yul | Round Four | 07 Mar 2010
18 year old Korean golfer Noh Seung Yul has upstaged his more credentialed countryman, K.J. Choi, to win the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur, a final hole birdie enough to edge him just one clear of Choi.
On a day where so many players had chances, Choi appeared to have done enough when he recovered from a 71st hole bogey to birdie the last and waited as Noh, who was playing in the final group of the day, played the last needing a birdie to deny him a chance at a playoff.
Noh was up to the task, although the manner he played the hole gave no indication that such might be the case. He pulled his drive left and his second finished some 30 metres from the flag and well left of the green. As he was playing the hole, Choi birdied himself but then the youngster pitched to two feet and when he holed out for birdie the title was his.
Noh is in just his second full season on the Asian Tour after earning his card to play there as a 16 year old early in 2008. That season he won the Midea China Open and was eventually named the 2008 Asian Tour’s Rookie of the Year.
Noh now has European and Asian Tour status and the world at his feet it would seem.
Three players, Rhy Davies, Soren Hansen and Kiradech Aphibarnrat tied for third, none able to find that one final birdie at the last to give them a share of second position with Choi.
Of the Australasians, Mark Brown finally found some form to finish 10th, Scott Barr and Darren Beck were 28th, Scott Strange 34th, Brett Rumford and Terry Pilkadaris 39th, Andrew Dodt, Mark Purser and Marcus Fraser 49th, Matthew Griffin 56th with Unho Park, Scott Hend and Tony Carolan further back again.
The Asian Tour will now play Open Championship qualifying in Kuala Lumpur this week but there next event will not be until the Myanmar Open in early April.
