David Watts claimed his first victory on the G4D Tour after a thrilling final round battle with World Number One Kipp Popert at the G4D Tour @ Singapore Classic.
The South African carded a three under par final round of 69 at Laguna National Golf Resort Club after rallying on the back nine with three birdies on his final four holes to win by three strokes.
Watts started the day with a one-stroke lead but had to fight back after Popert move ahead on the front nine as he searched for a sixth G4D Tour title, with the Englishman making the turn with a one-stroke advantage. But Watts drew level and then regained the lead after consecutive birdies on the 15th and 16th holes.
He then took a three-stroke cushion down the 18th after Popert found the water on the tricky par three 17th, with the pair each carding a birdie on the final hole as Watts signed for a five under par total, claiming his first G4D Tour title on his fifth start.
“It’s hard to put into words, it’s a bit of a surreal feeling. I’m delighted to get it over the line,” said Watts. “I got off to a bit of a nervy start, sleeping on a lead and Kipp got off to a strong start. I hung around, did what I could do to get the ball in the hole and then started playing nicely towards the back nine.
“I rolled in a few putts and got a few birdies down the stretch, three birdies on the last four holes always helps in a round of golf. I had a great battle with a terrific player. To finish this off and come away with the trophy, I couldn’t be happier.
“I’ve learnt in golf never to touch the money. I stuck to my own game, tried to put it down the fairway on 18, which I did. Knocked it by the green and somehow got it up and down.
“It’s a lot of hours of practice and training. In golf, you’re not accountable to anyone like you are in a team sport. You’ve got to have self-discipline and you’ve got to make sacrifices. This is your reward for it. To have that moment on 18 is something I will have with me for the rest of my life.”
The G4D Tour will return to action from May 10-12 with the inaugural G4D Open at Woburn Golf Club, announced earlier this month by The R&A and the DP World Tour.
G4D Order of Merit after G4D Tour @ Singapore Classic
| Player | Points Total |
|---|---|
| Kipp Popert | 172.00 |
| Juan Postigo Arce | 156.00 |
| Kurtis Barkley | 144.00 |
| David Watts | 140.00 |
| Brendan Lawlor | 100.00 |
| Mike Browne | 92.00 |
| Tommaso Perrino | 68.00 |
| Aidan Grenham | 56.00 |
| Conor Stone | 52.00 |
| Rasmus Lia | 48.00 |
| Bradley Smith | 44.00 |
| Geoffrey Nicholas | 32.00 |
| Johan Kammerstad | 32.00 |
| Oliver Hirst-Greenham | 24.00 |
| Cameron Pollard | 16.00 |
| Rob Walden | 12.00 |
| Jeremy Bittner | 8.00 |
| Stephen Prior | 4.00 |
