New Zealand's Mark Brown held his nerve to seal an emotional four-shot victory in the inaugural SAIL Open on Saturday. Brown paid tribute to his late father after weathering constant pressure from playing partner Scott Hend for his final-round 69 and a winning score of 14-under-par 274.
"It was so emotional. I was remembering my father, who passed away four years ago. I wish he were here to see me win," said the 33-year-old. Tied for second place were Indian star Jyoti Randhawa who shot a 71, big-hitting Australian Hend who finished even-par and Korea's Noh Seung-yul who ended his campaign with a 69 on the par-72 Jaypee Greens.
Brown, who finished 15th on the Asian money list last year, stayed calm to maintain a slim lead all day before sinking a 10-foot birdie on the 18th hole. "I was nervous when I started. A one-shot lead made me feel everybody was chasing me. And then right through the last few holes, I had just a one-shot lead," Brown said. "I just wanted to get close (on the final hole) and tap in for par, but it just went in," he added.
Brown's playing partner Hend was just one behind at the 18th tee, but splashed into the water for double-bogey. "I was very nervous as he was very close. But then he went into water," said Brown, who picks up the winner's cheque of 63,400 dollars.