BANGKOK, Thailand – RangeGoats Golf Club’s Peter Uihlein was red hot this week at the Asian Tour’s International Series Thailand but came up just short, finishing T2 at International Series Thailand.
Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po claimed his maiden title on the Asian Tour by making birdies on the final two holes at Thai Country Club to beat Uihlein, who had led since Friday.
Lee, playing in the penultimate group, fired a 7-under 63 to finish 21-under for the week while Uihlein closed with a 67 to tie for second place with Canadian Richard T. Lee, who carded a 62.
Uihlein led by three at the start of the day and was attempting to win his second title on The International Series in the space of three months, having claimed International Series England in August.
“I didn’t putt well enough to win this,” Uihlein said. “I felt like I was pretty good for four days to the green, and my approach play was really good, but I just putted terrible. … Yesterday was awful on the greens, and that kind of put everyone in a position where, if they go out and shoot 63, 62 they’d have a chance. So it was kind of yesterday that I shot myself in the foot a little bit. But today I made a bogey on the last and I missed a couple of easy putts. It is what it is.”
Multiple LIV Golf League members participated this week. Those who made the cut included Branden Grace (T19), Sam Horsfield (T47) and Kieran Vincent (T47).
Lee Chieh-po, whose English name is Max, birdied the par-5 17th to move to within one of Uihlein, who still looked to be heading for victory. However, Lee drained a 12-foot birdie putt on the last, shortly before his American opponent found a greenside bunker there and missed his par putt from a similar distance.
“It’s been a simply amazing week,” said Lee, who had finished runner-up on two occasions before and had five other top-five finishes, including third place in last week’s Black Mountain Championship. “I have come close to winning many times before. Even my first year on Tour in 2015, I nearly won. I think my tee shots and my putting are getting better and better, that’s why I can do even better this week.
“After last season, I changed my swing a little bit, but I knew I was on the right path, so I just kept doing it, kept working, and now it’s feeling better than last year.”
He had appeared to have slipped out of the running when he dropped his only shot of the day on 15 before his heroics on the final holes.
For Richard T. Lee it was yet another near miss. Since the Tour resumed after the global pandemic, he finished second twice, third on three occasions and has been in the running numerous times. He missed a birdie putt on the last, which proved costly, and he birdied six in a row from the 12th – which was kind of the plan.
“It was funny,” said the Canadian, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour. “I was talking to my caddie after I made a bogey on nine, told him I’m going to shoot 6 under on the back nine. And he’s like, OK, let’s do it. And unfortunately, I made bogey on 10, and I was like, oh no. … So yeah, I went on a birdie streak of six birdies, and I was just sticking everything and making putts. Just unfortunately, on the last hole, I missed the putt.”
Last week’s winner of the Black Mountain Championship Michael ‘MJ’ Maguire closed with a 62 to tie for fourth, three behind the winner, along with fellow-Americans Paul Peterson, in with a 63, and Christian Banke, who fired a 64.
American John Catlin, a LIV Golf reserve player and the top-ranked player on the Asian Tour and The International Series, returned a 68 and tied for 12th. His opponents have a lot to do if they are to catch him.
All eyes will be on next week’s BNI Indonesian Masters, which commences on Thursday at Royale Jakarta Golf Club. India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar is the defending champion, while two-time US Masters champion Bubba Watson from the United States is one of the star attractions.
For more information on The International Series, please visit www.internationalseries.com
(Photo courtesy of Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour)
