Malaysia's Ervin Chang achieved his career-best finish on the Asian Tour by tying for sixth place at the Mandiri Indonesia Open which concluded yesterday.
England's Steve Lewton claimed the title after making a birdie on the second playoff hole, defeating Australia's Aaron Wilkin and Chinese rookie Sampson Zheng. The trio had finished the final round with a 16-under-par total, which triggered the three-way playoff. Australian Travis Smyth and China's Liu Yanwei narrowly missed the playoff by one shot and tied for fourth place.
Chang posted scores of 68, 66, 66, and 72 to end the tournament at 12-under-par, just four shots behind the playoff contenders. Reflecting on his performance, the 25-year-old mentioned in an Instagram post: "I put myself in a good position going into the final round but just could not make much headway at the critical moments. Still, I am thankful to finish with a total of 12 under."
Despite a setback with a double bogey on the 18th hole of the final round, Chang expressed satisfaction with his overall progress. This year marks his third appearance at the Mandiri Indonesia Open, a tournament of special significance for him, as it was his maiden Asian Tour event after turning professional. Having secured his Asian Tour card last year by narrowly finishing within the top 10 of the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit, his previous best result on the Asian Tour was a tie for 43rd place at the International Series Macau in March, making this top-six finish a notable milestone.
The Asian Tour will be moving to Korea next for the Shinhan Donghae Open, scheduled from September 5-8 at the Ocean Course, Club72, near Incheon airport. The event is co-sanctioned with the Korean and Japan Tours and was won last year by Korea's Guntaek Koh in a playoff.
Final Scores
Top 10 & Ties
268 (-16) Steve Lewton (ENG) 67-67-66-68, Sampson Zheng (CHN) 65-63-72-68, Aaron Wilkin (AUS) 61-71-67-69.
269 (-15) Travis Smyth (AUS) 73-65-64-67, Liu Yanwei (CHN) 68-66-67-68.
272 (-12) Austen Truslow (USA) 68-73-68-63, Sarit Suwannarut (THA) 68-66-71-67, Ian Snyman (RSA) 70-68-67-67, Poosit Supupramai (THA) 66-69-69-68, Saptak Talwar (IND) 69-67-68-68, Suteepat Prateeptienchai (THA) 65-72-67-68, Ervin Chang (MAS) 68-66-66-72
