Thai rookie Ekpharit springs big surprise

Thailand's Ekpharit Wu overcame home hero Hung Chien-yao on the closing stretch of the US$400,000 Taifong Open to win his first title on the Asian Tour in his rookie season by two shots.

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Ekpharit Wu holds the winner's trophy. ASIAN TOUR

The 26-year-old Wu shot a five-under-par 67 yesterday at the par-72 Taifong Golf Club, and benefited from a late stumble by Hung (70), who made back-to-back bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes to open the door for Ekpharit, who finished the tournament on 20-under 268.

The win not only helped Ekpharit jump from 73rd to 28th in the Asian Tour Order of Merit, it also secures him a spot in the US$5 million PIF Saudi International in Riyadh this week.

Hung’s consolation was a leap of 53 places on the Merit list from 110 to 57, which nearly guarantees him a card for next season and keep his record of playing on the Asian Tour for 12 consecutive seasons intact.