Noh Seung-yul [Photo courtesy Asian Tour]
It’s not very often one enjoys the privilege of meeting your childhood hero, let alone crossing swords in a major golf tournament.
But prodigiously talented 18-year-old Korean Noh Seung-yul lived a dream when he battled toe-to-toe with idol KJ Choi at the Maybank Malaysian Open … and triumphed with one of the most dramatic finishes in the 49th edition of the championship.
The closing par-five-hole at the majestic Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, arguably Malaysia’s finest venue these days, was the scene of Noh’s heroics which cemented his stature as one of the Asian Tour’s newest stars.
Standing on the 18th tee, Noh held a one stroke lead from a chasing pack that included Choi, playing ahead in the penultimate match. Displaying a rare flash of nerves, Noh pulled his drive miles left onto the 10th fairway. He compounded that error with a wayward three-wood second shot which stayed well left, coming to rest on a concrete path near the practice putting green, some 30 yards from the flag.
At almost the same time, Choi drained a birdie putt on the home green to tie Noh on 13-under and pile the pressure on his young compatriot, who looked in danger of self destructing.
After taking a free drop, Noh produced one of the shots of the season, his delicate chip narrowly avoiding the left-hand bunker and stopping within 18 inches of the cup.
The teen tapped in for his winning birdie. Even Choi, who was watching the live coverage from the scorer’s room, was left bug-eyed at Noh’s recovery shot, which propelled the young man to a well-earned victory.
Known for his stoic demeanour on the golf course, Noh’s emotions finally got the better of him as his father-cum-caddie hugged him while the other Korean players in the field, including previous winner Anthony Kang, stormed onto the green and doused the new champion with bubbly.
“KJ has been a role model to me. I have looked up to him and I sort of always imagined what it would be like to play against global stars like KJ or Tiger Woods,” said Noh.
During a practice round earlier in the week, Choi was surprised to learn that Noh’s last tournament win had come in 2008. “I think it is time for you to win again,” he told Noh.
Choi was gracious in defeat and tipped Noh to sparkle on the international stage. “He is one of the most powerful young talents coming up. The way he controls and hits the ball is like no other. I think he has a very bright future,” said Choi.
While the spotlight fell on the new winner, the movie reel for Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat continued to play reruns of another near miss. Once more the joint overnight leader came close to capturing his maiden Asian Tour victory, but had to settle for a share of third place with Soren Hansen and Rhys Davies on 276.
“I guessed that 15-under would have been the winning score. I was 13-under at one point and thought I was on course to win. But I made another bogey on 13 which was disappointing,” said the 21-year-old former world junior champion.
