MARDAN ON HIGH IN MALAYSIA

Kuala Lumpur, March 11: Mardan Mamat of Singapore held off a late charge from Malaysian Rashid Ismail to win the PGM-CCM- Impian Masters by one shot on Sunday.   Mardan continued his rich vein of form to shoot a final round three-under-par 69 to defeat a fast charging Rashid, who fired a blistering course record 62 at the Impian Golf and Country Club on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur in the season-opening event of the Asian Development Tour.   Danny Chia, a winner on the Asian Tour, closed with a solid 66 to finish in third place on 273 while R. Nachimuthu, winner of the PGM Order of Merit last year, ended his campaign two shots back at the RM180,000 (approximately US$60,000).   Overnight leader Mardan, winner of the ICTSI Philippine Open on the Asian Tour last month, was on level terms with Rashid after 16 holes and needed a birdie on 17 to seal his first Asian Development Tour title.   “Thank God, I didn’t know (Rashid’s score)! I was pretty much focussed on what I needed to do. I didn’t know until I entered score recording and found out I defeated Rashid by one,” said the Singaporean veteran, who totalled 18-under-par 270 and won US$10,465.   Mardan predicted a bright future for the ADT, which is running in its third season and affords the top-three players on the Order of Merit at the end of the season with Asian Tour cards.   “It will benefit a lot of the younger players. We need this development tour to develop the young players. This is like a platform for them to build up their game to the next level. This is good for the young players,” said Mardan, who will play in the HANDA FALDO CAMBODIAN CLASSIC on the Asian Tour next week.   Playing five flights in front of the leading flight, Rashid took advantage of his home course knowledge to shoot a flawless round highlighted by 10 birdies to overcome an eight-shot deficit.   The highlight of his day came when he narrowly missed a hole-in-one by one feet at the 16th hole.   “I’m not disappointed with how I played even though I didn’t win. I rediscovered my putting form so I hope I can continue until the Malaysian Open. This is a good start to the year for me. This ADT tournament helps the local players gain more experience. This is a good stepping stone for us,” said Rashid, who represented Malaysia in the 2000 World Cup of golf with Chia.   Leading final round scores 270 - Mardan MAMAT (SIN) 66-67-68-69 271 - Rashid ISMAIL (MAS) 69-70-70-62 273 - Danny CHIA (MAS) 68-70-69-66 275 - R. Nachimuthu (MAS) 64-69-71-71 276 - Jay BAYRON (PHI) 68-70-70-68, Senroku ISA (JPN) 68-70-68-70, Dodge KEMMER (USA) 67-68-69-72 277 - Anthony CHOAT (AUS) 68-70-69-70, Glenn JOYNER (AUS) 66-72-69-70 278 - Jani PERTTILA (FIN) 70-70-72-66, Elmer SALVADOR (PHI) 71-71-69-67, LIM Eng-Seng (MAS) 65-75-69-69, Hirotaro NAITO (JPN) 72-66-67-73 279 - Antonio LASCUNA (PHI) 71-71-70-67, Matthew ROSENFELD (USA) 72-69-69-69, S.Siva Chandhran (MAS) 70-67-72-70, Kenichi SAWADA (JPN) 69-69-71-70, Neil REILLY (ENG) 67-67-72-73   Ends.   About the Asian Development Tour The Asian Development Tour was launched in 2010 with the aim of creating a career pathway for professional golfers in Asia. Sanctioned by the Asian Tour, the Asian Development Tour will ultimately create a new playing platform for emerging stars from across Asia and around the world. Through the Asian Tour Qualifying School, players will qualify for the Asian Development Tour and enjoy the opportunity to hone their games and talent through a secondary circuit in Asia. Designed in the same structure as the Nationwide Tour in America and European Challenge Tour, the Asian Development Tour is a stepping stone to the Asian Tour and the exciting world of international golf. The Asian Development Tour has been structured to ensure the best opportunities for its members. The leading three players on the Asian Development Tour will earn coveted Asian Tour cards for the following season, ensuring a proper career pathway for aspiring professionals.