Lee Westwood won his first title of the year and the 38th of his career with a successful defence of the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters.
The World Number Three golfer completed a marathon of 32 holes as he returned on Sunday morning to finish the third round before closing with a final round 74 for a winning total of 16 under par at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club.
The Englishman defeated former Asian Tour number one Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand by two shots, while Indians Gaganjeet Bhullar and Shiv Kapur finished tied for third.
Westwood, who finished tied third at the Masters Tournament two weeks ago, held a dominant eight shot lead going into the final round but tiredness began to kick in on his homeward nine as he shot one birdie and three bogeys.
“Today was hard. It is never easy playing in these conditions and I had to play 32 holes. It was draining out there and I was really feeling it on the back nine. When you are in contention and under pressure, it seems to zap your energy faster,” said Westwood.
“You never know how to play with such a big lead. You don’t know if you should attack or defend. It is quite hard to get your mental attitude around it. It was a case of staying patient and calm and playing the holes correctly. It was exhausting.
“Hopefully this will kick-start my year. I’ve played well without any wins so hopefully I can go on and win other tournaments. It is tough when you are the favourite because if you don’t win then it will be disappointing. There was a lot of pressure so I’m glad I did it.”
