SINGAPORE - This is why Quincy Quek loves golf and competing. For days like Saturday (Aug 24).
When everything feels in total sync - his swing, the weight and feel of his putter and his confidence building after each birdie.
There were 10 final-round birdies, none more important than the last that proved decisive and gave Quek a one-shot victory over Australian Adam Blyth at the PGM Northport ADT Championship.
Quek's 10-under 62 allowed him to erase Blyth's three-shot overnight lead and capture the Asian Development Tour (ADT) event with a winning total of 25-under 263.
Blyth closed with a 66 and was left to rue the bogey on the 1st hole that indicated his vulnerability at the Glenmarie Golf & Country Club in Kuala Lumpur.
For Quek, this performance - which also ties the lowest round of his career - and victory was a long overdue one. His last ADT title was seven years ago at the ICTSI Orchard Golf Championship in the Philippines.
While he has won several times on the Singapore Professional Golfers' Association circuit, he kept coming up short on the higher-tier regional tours.
The 32-year-old, who needed just 24 putts on Saturday, told The Straits Times: "It's such a tough sport. I feel like getting over that winner's hurdle takes quite a bit of luck.
"This week I was really fortunate to have my putts drop at the right time.
"Adam played pretty solid and this win could definitely have been his.
"It's not often you lead by three, shoot 66 and still come up short. I'm just really happy it all came together for me this week."
He did not make a single bogey on Saturday and, after five birdies in his first 10 holes, had drawn level with Blyth at 20-under.
Both were tied for the lead as they stood on the 18th tee, but only the Singaporean managed to birdie the par-four 408m closing hole.
Quek, who collected RM39,375 (S$13,031) for his win, will return home with something perhaps even more valuable - vindication of his talent and perseverance.
The world No. 1,160 (his ranking will rise when the list is released on Monday) said: "Golf definitely presents more downs than ups. We are often sucked into the fantasy that is the PGA Tour and what those guys do over there.
"It's so hard to play a good round, let alone four. And then you have to try and do it week in week out.
"I'm just really thankful for the support that I've been getting from family, and sponsors that have stuck with me through these years. This win is definitely for them."
At another ADT event in Indonesia, the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament in Tangerang, Jakarta, Singapore's Mardan Mamat let slip a chance to end his own winless drought after losing to South Korean Kim Joo-hyung in a play-off.
Mardan's last significant win was the 2015 Bangladesh Open.
The 51-year-old held a five-shot lead heading into Saturday's final round but closed with an even-par 72 which allowed the 17-year-old Kim, who shot 67, to catch him. Both finished on 18-under 270 at the Damai Indah Golf.
