KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 — American Trevor Simsby won the Bandar Malaysia Open in a dramatic two-hole playoff today against Australian Andrew Dodt.
Trevor drained a five-foot putt on the second playoff hole to best Dodt after they were tied at 13-Under along with another American, Jarin Todd, following 54 holes of the rain-hit tournament played at Kota Permai Golf and Country Club this weekend.
Dodt, who was the leader after days one and two, found himself struggling to play as consistently as he had in the past two days where he did not make a single bogey.
Today he had two bogeys and one double-bogey to four birdies and found the rest of the field catching up to him.
For his troubles, Trevor received his trophy from Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and took home the US$180,000 (RM750,960) prize.
Trevor has been struggling to hold a regular touring card and he recently relocated to Malaysia and is staying with his friend Justin in Ara Damansara.
He decided to leave his home in California to try and get out of his comfort zone and challenge himself outside of America.
He was seen visibly emotional after winning in such dramatic fashion and when asked during the press conference why he was getting emotional, he said all the struggles he’d been through these past few years had paid off and he was a bit overwhelmed.
“To be honest I’ve not been in the best position golf-wise,” said the 27-year-old.
“It’s very competitive and you have to stay positive and put the work in and hope good things will happen, I don’t know what else to say.
“It was my time this week I guess and I had put in a lot of work and dedication to the game and this is for sure my biggest win of my career.”
The Bandar Malaysia Open is making a comeback after a four-year hiatus. The tournament was hit by bad weather which caused play to stop everyday from Thursday onwards.
Yesterday, players who didn’t finish their second round had to continue that morning and then those who made the cut at 2-Under would continue to play the third round in the afternoon.
However a lightning warning caused play to be suspended from 1.30pm onwards with the last three flights yet to tee off. Then at 6pm tournament officials decided that they would call off play and decide a champion today from 54 holes rather than 72 holes.
Trevor said it was a blessing in disguise as most players felt with one day left they could go all out and also avoid the challenging conditions. He however felt the turning point for him today was at the 15th hole.
“My caddie kept saying all day we may have a chance to contend for the title but I didn’t think about it till the 15th hole when after I finished I saw the leaderboard was tight.
“Then I birdied 16 made a good par on 17 and then three of us were tied for the lead.”
During the playoff, Trevor was the only one of the three to hit driver and then 3-wood to the green both times. His aggressive approach allowed him to make birdie on the first playoff hole and then on the second playoff hole, Dodt reached the green in three and had a 10 feet for birdie.
Trevor on the other hand smashed his 3-wood to within 40 feet, chipped to within 5 feet and when Dodt missed his birdie putt, Trevor drained his.
“I kept the aggressive approach so I’d have a strong mindset to go and chase down birdies,” Trevor explained.
“I didn’t putt well all week but my chipping was amazing. In fact in the second round I had two chip-ins so I felt good with the wedge and was confident I’d get it close.”
With his biggest win under his belt, Trevor said the money will go a long way to helping him with his finances for the year. He now will be aiming to maintain his good form heading into the Indian Open next week.
