Englands Richard Mansell has claimed his first DP World Tour title, finishing with a spectacular birdie to secure a narrow victory at the Porsche Singapore Classic, which was shortened due to adverse weather conditions.
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Mansell, results
With the event reduced to 54 holes after Thursdays cancellation due to rain, Mansell entered the third and final round one shot behind, 10 points behind. However, he quickly took the lead with an impressive run of play, starting with three pars before reeling in five straight birdies from the fourth hole at Laguna National Golf Resort Club to turn the field into a two-shot lead. Despite being caught at the top in the second half of the round, Mansell came into his own on the par-5 final hole, two-putting birdie from over 100 feet to close with a 66 and end the tournament 16 points behind provisional leader Keita Nakajima.
Nakajima, who shot a flawless 65 with seven birdies, almost made it to the playoff, but Mansells final hole relegated him to solitary second place at -15. Tom McKibbin and Adrien Saddier tied for third at -14.
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The 29-year-old Englishman opened his day with a 25-foot birdie on the fourth hole, closing the gap on the top spot. He followed it up with a 8-foot birdie on the fifth and another close-range birdie on the sixth, moving into the lead. On the seventh, a par-three, he sent his tee shot less than two meters from the hole, consolidating his lead with another precise putt. His putting lesson continued on the eighth, where he holed a long birdie from the collar, moving to -15 and two shots ahead of his opponents. A bogey at the tenth allowed Nakajima to catch up, but Mansell responded with a 15-foot birdie at the thirteenth to retake the lead.
He nearly made another birdie at the fifteenth after a perfect approach, but the putt didn't go in. He then showed great tenacity at the sixteenth, saving par after a tee shot that ended up in the rough.
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Among the Italians, Francesco Laporta stood out with a 28th place at -8, showing good consistency. Edoardo Molinari finished 43rd at -6, while Guido Migliozzi ranked 49th at -5. Andrea Pavan, on the other hand, failed to make the cut.
