Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 24: Australia’s Scott Hend returned to winning ways by clinching his first Asian Tour title since 2016 with his dramatic play-off victory over Spain’s Nacho Elvira at the Maybank Championship on Sunday.

Hend held a slender one-shot lead heading into the final hole but late drama ensued when a clap of thunder disrupted Elvira’s approach into the 18th green. The skies opened soon after leaving officials with no choice but to suspend the play at 2.49pm (local time)

When play resumed at 4.30pm, Elvira drained a monstrous 30-feet birdie putt to force a play-off with Hend, who had no answer to the Spaniard’s remarkable birdie effort.

After more than 90 minutes of delay, Hend and Elvira were back at the tee box on 18.

Hend got a lucky break when his tee shot at the first extra-hole hit the base of a tree and ended up on the fairway, while Elvira’s ball went into the fairway bunker.

The Australian hit another tree with his second shot and went into the greenside bunker. Hend splashed his shot out from the bunker to within three feet of the hole which he coolly rolled in to clinch the Maybank Championship and banish memories of his previous play-off defeats in Switzerland in 2016 and 2017.

Elvira’s runner-up finish was his second in as many starts after he ended his recent campaign in Qatar in a tie for second in his last outing.

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond enjoyed yet another top-10 finish by closing with a 69 to take third place while Johannes Veerman of the United States bettered his previous best result of 12th position in 2017 by signing off with a 66 to finish in fourth place.

Did you know?

• With this victory, Scott Hend moved into second place on the all-time career-earnings list, and becomes the second player to break the US$5 million mark on the Asian Tour.
• Scott Hend has appeared in every edition of the Maybank Championship since it was first played in 2016. His best previous result was 29th in 2017.
• He is the first Australian to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit title in 2016
• All of Hend’s wins have come in Asia.
• Hend is the fourth player after Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant, Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng to obtain 10 wins or more on the Asian Tour.
• Nacho Elvira was making his third appearance consecutive appearance at the Maybank Championship and the first time he has made the cut.
• It was also the first time he held the 54-hole lead on the European Tour.
• Jazz Janewattananond has appeared in every edition of the Maybank Championship since it was first played in 2016. His best previous result was a tied-39th finish last year.
• He broke into the world’s top-100 for the first time in his career after claiming his third Asian Tour title at the season-opening event in Singapore in January.
• That victory also earned him a coveted spot in The Open, where he made his Major debut last year.
• Johannes Veerman is born to an Indonesian mother and an American father. He resides in Texas but had spent 13 years living in Asia.
• Veerman came through Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2016 and went on to enjoy a dream rookie season.
• He bagged three consecutive top-10 finishes on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) before securing his breakthrough win at the Taifong Open.
• He became the third American to lift the ADT Order of Merit crown in 2016 with that victory and as well as five other top-10 finishes.

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