Ultra-talented 19-year-old Thai-born sensation Denwit ‘David’ Boriboonsub has made it three wins in succession, on three different tours in comfortably capturing the PIF Saudi Open in Riyadh.
Boriboonsub posted a closing round of 64 to win by three shots at 18-under-par in the final Asian Tour event of the season in the Saudi capital.
The win is Boriboonsub’s third Official Golf World Ranking victory in succession, each in December, having returned to Saudi after last fortnight’s Saudi Armco Invitational and then he returned home last week to capture the 51st Thailand Open, Thailand’s oldest tournament.
And in claiming a rare triple treat triumph, Boriboonsub did so by denying LIV and past Open Champion winning star Henrik Stenson, who signed for a closing 65 to finish runner-up at 15-under.
Boriboonsub’s first win was this month, also in Saudi Arabia, on the secondary Asian Tour’s Development Tour while his Thai Open win was on the All Thailand Tour, where he has two other wins since turning pro.
“It is an unbelievable feeling because it is incredible winning three weeks in a row. It is like magic!” said the smiling Thai teenager, whose English name is David and who pocketed a US$180,000 winners prize.
“I was really confident before coming to this week because I just know my game. I hit my drives good, my irons and putting were also good, so my goal this week was to win. Fortunately, I made it.
“[At Aramco] I told my caddie that there is nothing to lose now. If we didn’t make this tournament we had to go to Q-School but I just tried to play my best and hopefully just make top three but luckily I won it.”
The PIF Saudi Open was only Denwit’s 15th start on the Asian Tour, and he mirrored the performance of American Berry Henson back in 2011 by winning on the Asian Tour a fortnight after claiming an ADT event.
Stenson, playing in the third from last group out, made a valiant late run with four consecutive birdies from the 12th and another on 17 but simply ran out of holes.
“It’s been a good week here in Riyadh. It’s my first trip to the capital, it’s been nice to see something else than Jeddah as well in that sense, where we played a lot of golf both the Saudi International and the LIV tournaments,” said the Swede.
“So nice visit, a lot of friendly people. I came in with two months off, so it was a good opportunity for me to kind of see where we’re at and what needs to be worked more on when we start preparing for next year in the middle of January.”
His appearance in the event was only Stenson’s sixth OWGR ranking event this year and he heads home climbing from 270th to around the 228th ranked player – not that Stenson will be celebrating.
Though Scotland’s David Drysdale can crack open the bubbly as at aged 48 he’s become one of the oldest rookies to retain his Tour card, and this after being snubbed in all his requests for 2023 DP World Tour invitations after ‘losing’ his card at the end of 2022.
Drysdale arrived in the Saudi capital lying 43rd on the money-list and, despite missing the cut, he wound-up his year 47th and easily among leading-65 thus earn full 2024 Tour membership.
He said: “It’s not the way I wanted to end the season but I just struggled from the time we arrived here on Tuesday.
“I just didn’t hit the clubface well all week. It’s a crazy game and just put it down to one of those weeks.
“You never want to miss the cut in any tournament you tee-up but then Vicky and I haven’t been back to Scotland for a while, so now looking forward to catching-up with family and friends over the Christmas season.
“I said back in January that when I secured my Asian Tour card, that this week is where I wanted to be, so looking back it’s been a great year for Vicky and myself and, on the whole, I’m pretty pleased how this first in my career unfolded given it was a season of limited starts.
“So, it’s been a great rookie season for this rookie but for now just looking forward to putting the clubs away, enjoy the festive season and then look forward to the new Asian Tour season”.
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