Thailand Golf Championship 2014: Daily Leaderboard Analysis, Highlights, More
Lee Westwood reigned supreme at the Thailand Golf Championship in Bangkok, securing the title with a stunning final round for his second career victory at the Asian Tour event.
The Englishman wasn’t without a helping hand from his competitors, though, as Martin Kaymer and Marcus Fraser both slipped up late on for Westwood’s eight-under-par total to be enough for the win.
Here’s a look at the leaderboard from the Asian Tour’s final event of the season:
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| Position | Golfer | To Par | Round 4 |
| 1 | Lee Westwood | -8 | 67 |
| T2 | Martin Kaymer | -7 | 68 |
| T2 | Marcus Fraser | -7 | 70 |
| 4 | Tommy Fleetwood | -5 | 70 |
| 5 | Scott Hend | -4 | 69 |
| T6 | Thongchai Jaidee | -3 | 68 |
| T6 | Jonathan Moore | -3 | 71 |
| T6 | Anirban Lahiri | -3 | 73 |
| 9 | Sergio Garcia | -2 | 69 |
| T10 | Kiradech Aphibarnrat | -1 | 68 |
| T10 | Paul Peterson | -1 | 69 |
| T10 | Terry Pilkadaris | -1 | 69 |
Day 4 Recap
Westwood began the day two shots adrift of Fraser at the top of the leaderboard, and consecutive bogies on the first and second holes looked to have ended his challenge.
However, that was the last thing on the 41-year-old’s mind, as he responded with four straight birdies from the sixth to the ninth to put himself back in contention. Thaigolfchamp’s video via Instagram shows his third of the streak on the eighth:
Three more birdies on the back nine brought Westwood to eight under for the tournament, with Kaymer and Fraser hovering around the same figure after strong rounds of their own.
On the 17th tee, both the German and the Austrian were sat on eight under in a tie for the lead with Westwood. Kaymer then bogeyed 17, before Fraser slipped up on the last hole to end their respective challenges.
That left the Englishman to record his 41st career victory, and he was clearly elated after taking the crown, saying to Asian Tour’s official website that his triumph eclipses when he last held the trophy aloft:
"When I won the Thailand Golf Championship in 2011, I had a pretty big lead. But this win is obviously very special as it was a very tight day out there. I didn’t get off to the best of starts having bogeyed the first two holes so I knew I had a lot of work to do. However, I started to hit lots of good shots after that. I hit it close and made some nice putts when I needed to.
"
Chubby Chandler was in similar high spirits on social media, as he congratulated Westwood via Twitter:
While the Ryder Cup star owes much of his victory to the demises of Fraser and Kaymer, you can take nothing away from the performance he turned in.
Elsewhere, Tommy Fleetwood carded a two-under-par 70 to finish on five under, while home favourite Thongchai Jaidee was two shots back after a 68 on Sunday.
The players will now enjoy their Christmas break, but Westwood’s triumph shows just how much confidence is surging through the veteran’s veins right now.
Based on his form in Thailand, it could well be a fruitful 2015 for the 41-year-old.
Day 3 Recap
Australian Marcus Fraser is within touching distance of winning the the 2014 Thailand Golf Championship. He ended Round 3 in the catbird seat atop the leaderboard.
This view from the tournament's official Instagram account shows Fraser striding confidently onto the ninth
But despite his brash manner, Fraser's lead lead remains a slender one. In fact, he's just a single shot ahead of Indian Anirban Lahiri.
He will have had one eye on the day's real disappointment, Order of Merit leader David Lipsky. The dominant force on this year's Asian Tour couldn't overcome problems at the penultimate hole, per AsianTour.com:
"Order of Merit leader David Lipsky of the United States was kicking himself after shooting a disappointing two-over-par 74 in the third round of the Thailand Golf Championship on Saturday.
The Korean-American was cruising along nicely as he was even par for the day before making a double bogey on the par three 17th hole when he hit his tee shot into the water on the signature island green at the Amata Spring Country Club.
He is currently tied for 21st position on three-over-par 219 which makes things interesting on the Order of Merit race as his closest challenger Anirban Lahiri of India battled to second place at the US$1 million Asian Tour event.
"
Lipsky's tough day means the race between himself and closest contender Lahiri will now intensify.
But for the moment, the latter will be more concerned with overhauling Fraser. Despite hitting a 68 to cap Round 3, Lahiri still couldn't overtake the steady leader.
He encountered trouble at the 12th, per the Tour's official Twitter account:
Fraser had entered the day determined to knock Englishman Tommy Fleetwood off his perch. He managed it thanks to finishing two under par at 70.
Now Fraser intends to play cautious, steady golf to navigate a difficult course on the final day, per Asian Tour (h/t Golf Australia):
"The 36-year-old Australian will be adopting a conservative approach on the final day as he believes the course conditions do not favour aggressive play.
'I just can’t do that out there (on taking risk). There are a couple of pins tucked away and I’ve got to keep ball in play and give myself chances on the greens.'
"
Nowhere was the treacherous nature of the course more obvious than at the 18th. Both Lahiri and Fraser suffered bogeys at this tricky final hole.
The tournament's official Twitter account detailed detailed the challenge at the 18th:
Take a look at some of the other Round 3 highlights via Asian Tour TV:
Here's what the day's events mean for the tournament leaderboard:
| Position | Player | To Par | Round 3 Score |
| 1 | Marcus Fraser | -5 | 70 |
| 2 | Anirban Lahiri | -4 | 68 |
| 3 | Martin Kaymer | -3 | 70 |
| 3 | Lee Westwood | -3 | 72 |
| 3 | Tommy Fleetwood | -3 | 73 |
| 6 | Jonathan Moore | -2 | 72 |
| 7 | Simon Griffiths | -1 | 66 |
| 7 | Scott Hend | -1 | 71 |
| 9 | Matthew Stieger | Par | 68 |
| 10 | Sergio Garcia | +1 | 71 |
The final day will be dominated by the battle between Lahiri and Fraser. However, the former's duel with Lipsky for the Order of Merit will certainly be a keenly followed backstory.
Day 2 Recap
Tommy Fleetwood sunk a second round three-under 69 to take the lead on a day of major change in Thailand. Fleetwood, who built on Thursday's one-under 71, tops the leaderboard with an overall score of four-under, leading Marcus Fraser and compatriot Lee Westwood by one.
Here's a look at the top of the leaderboard:
| 1 | Tommy Fleetwood | -4 | 69 |
| T2 | Marcus Fraser | -3 | 72 |
| T2 | Lee Westwood | -3 | 71 |
| T4 | Tirawat Kaewsiribandit | -2 | 72 |
| T4 | Jonathan Moore | -2 | 71 |
| T6 | Thongchai Jaidee | -1 | 71 |
| T6 | Paul Peterson | -1 | 72 |
| T6 | Martin Kaymer | -1 | 72 |
Be sure to check full rankings on the tournament's official website. You can also view the day's highlights via Asian Tour TV:
Fleetwood encountered just one hiccup during a solid day in extremely windy conditions. He bogeyed hole four, but gained a quartet of shots—three along the back nine—to set himself apart from the rest. Only Fleetwood, Lionel Weber (tied ninth), Kodai Ichihara (tied 21st) and Terry Pilkadaris (tied 21st) went below 70 in the entire field.
Martin Kaymer posted a par-72 round to keep himself tied sixth, a score which usually would frustrate the German competitor. He noted shifting expectations on the testing course, however, per the tournament's official Twitter account:
Fraser and Westwood are currently closest to catching Fleetwood at the top. Fraser overcame a double bogey on three to scrape par for the day. It was difficult work, but his opening round three-under 69 ensures he maintains pace.
Westwood completed the course in one-under 71—a shot worse than his initial showing—but gained places nonetheless. The Englishman hit bursts of form, gaining three consecutive shots across the front nine's final trio, then doing the same on 17 and 18. His bad patch also arrived in bulk, though, highlighted by his two bogeys on holes three and five.
Bubba Watson moved up to tied 21st with his one-under 70, while early pacesetters Thanyakon Khrongpha, Richard T. Lee and Lu Wei-chih all dropped. Khrongpha and Lu both set scores of five-over 77, while Lee struggled on 76 for the day.
Fleetwood's positioning at the top of the table remains unstable. Conditions are unpredictable, meaning solid scores have the potential to capture ultimate glory.
This is something Westwood's par highlights, leaving him as a real threat to Fleetwood's chances of success. Fraser's consistency may prevail—he has only dropped shots on three holes so far—meaning it's all to play for heading into the weekend.
Day 1 Recap
Thanyakon Khrongpha, Marcus Fraser, Richard T. Lee and Lu Wei-chih share an opening round lead in Thailand after posting a three-under 69 on an extremely competitive first day's play.
Here's a look at the initial leaderboard, while the full rankings can be checked on the tournament's official website:
| T1 | Thanyakon Khrongpha | -3 | 69 |
| T1 | Marcus Fraser | -3 | 69 |
| T1 | Richard T. Lee | -3 | 69 |
| T1 | Lu Wei-chih | -3 | 69 |
| T5 | Scott Hend | -2 | 70 |
| T5 | Lee Westwood | -2 | 70 |
| T5 | Tirawat Kaewsiribandit | -2 | 70 |
Local fans will certainly be overjoyed to see Khrongpha competing in a strong field. The Thai favourite sunk four birdies and one bogey along his route to the clubhouse. He showed impeccable form on the back nine, gaining three shots to push himself to the leaderboard's summit.
Fraser posted a slightly bumpier run to his three-under score. The Australian dropped shots on eight and 13, but gained control with a solid showing on the latter half of the course. His four birdies on the back nine kept the lid on a display which could have teetered toward disappointment if he didn't hold things together.
The tournament's official Twitter account highlighted why it's important for Fraser to perform well:
Lee suffered just one bogey on the second to put himself among the leading pack. Lu overcame difficulties during the middle of his opening round—which saw bogeys posted on nine and 13—to finish the day with five birdies of his own.
Some of the tournament's bigger names struggled to make an instant impression, although Lee Westwood enjoyed a solid start, posting birdies on holes one and eight, before dropping a shot at the turn. Two further birdies cancelled out a couple of dropped shots, but Westwood finished the day with a sumptuous putt, noted by ISM's social media feed:
Martin Kaymer has largely failed to recreate the form which led him to U.S. Open victory in June. His five birdies were dampened by two bogeys and a double-bogey on 14, summing up his recent form. "I'm here to win and that's the reason why I'm here," noted Kaymer prior to play, per Sky Sports.
Sergio Garcia joins him on one-under, while Bubba Watson will want to forget his opening day four-over, which sees him tied 69th.
David Lipsky, leader of the Asian Tour's Order of Merit, will be pleased with his one-under 71. The American recovered from three bogeys to keep himself within touching distance of the top, despite windy conditions.
One of the Amata course's most attractive features is the island green on the 17th, a quirk which is only reachable by boat. Lipsky highlighted the difficulty of making such a shot on the Thai Championship's Instagram feed:
A single dropped shot could make all the difference at this point. Four tied leaders ensures any minor blip may see one of the pacesetters lose ground. While the likes of Westwood, Garcia and Watson will want to improve their rhythm, an intriguing battle awaits at the top.
Both Kaymer and Lipsky showed enough quality to suggest they will move up, meaning the second round is likely be thrilling until the last.
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