PHNOM PENH—The Philippines went medal-less in the individual event of the golf competitions for the second straight edition of the Southeast Asian Games with Rianne Malixi ending up solo fourth in women’s play and Enrique Dimayuga finishing joint fifth in the men’s side here Wednesday.
But Malaysia’s Ng Jing Xuen foiled Eila Galitsky’s gold medal bid with a closing 67 then edged the Thai ace in sudden death after both finished with 203s. Galitsky, the reigning Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific champion who led Xuen by one after 36 holes, closed out with a 68 at the Garden City course.
Xuen actually tied Galitsky with a backside 33 against the latter’s 34 but the Thai went 2-up with a birdie on the third hole coupled with Xuen’s bogey on the next. But the Malaysian charged back with clutch birdies on Nos. 7 and 8 to force a playoff at 13-under overall.
Foong Zi Yu, also from Malaysia, pocketed the bronze with a 208 aggregate, also after a 67 in sweltering conditions.
Malixi, at joint fifth seven shots off Galitsky heading to the final round, failed to get going with a one-birdie, one-bogey round at the back but the ICTSI-backed shotmaker birdied Nos. 3, 5 and 8 to fashion out a 69 and snare solo fourth at 211 with Thai Navaporn Soontreeyapas ending up fifth at 212 after a 70.
Lois Kaye Go carded a 71 for solo sixth at 213 while Mafy Singson shot a 77 and wound up 18th in a field of 21 with a 228 total.
Vietnam’s Khanh Hung Le ran away with the gold with a 13-under 203 on a closing 69, beating Malaysia’s Malcolm Hung and Anson Xiang and compatriot’s Anh Minh Nguyen by four shots.
Hung, Xiang and Nguyen finished with identical nine-under 207s. But Hung took the silver on a par-bogey result against Nguyen in sudden death.
Ratchanon Chantananuwat also fumbled in his medal drive as the Thai sensation, who won an Asian Tour event last year, bogeyed the last two holes for a 73 and wound up joint fifth at 209 with compatriot Jiradech Chaowarat, who fired a 70, and Dimayuga, who also rallied with a bogey-free 68.
Meanwhile, Aidric Chan shot a 69 and tied for 13th at 213, Jaden Dumdumaya carded a 70 for 17th place at 216, while Paolo Wong matched par 72 for tied 19th at 218.