Davies remains upbeat after near miss in Malaysian Open

CHALLENGE TOUR graduate Rhys Davies took heart from his near miss at the Maybank Malaysian Open on Sunday, when the Welshman fell just short of claiming a maiden European Tour title.

The 24-year-old was on course to claim a wire-to-wire victory after holding the share of a one-shot lead heading into the final round, but was made to pay for a poor start as a one-under-par 71 left Davies two shots adrift of teenage winner Noh Seung-yul.

The two-time Challenge Tour winner did birdie three of his last seven holes before missing a long chance on the final green which would have secured second alongside KJ Choi, but Davies was forced to settle for a tie for third and his best finish on the European Tour.

“I can take a lot of positives out of the week,” he said.

“I wasn’t too comfortable on the final day but I still managed to stay calm and stick to what I was trying to do. I battled well and eventually found good rhythm with the putter on the back nine.

“I felt I was going to make every putt I looked at and if I had a little luck coming in I might have made a few more but that’s the way it was.”

Davies’ final-round partner Noh claimed his second professional win in dramatic fashion after producing a stunning chip from the edge of the practice putting green behind a hospitality marquee to set up a crucial final-hole birdie.

“It felt it wasn’t my week through the final day,” added Davies.

“Noh chipped in on the first when it was going like a bullet but fair play to him, it hit the hole and went in.

“I struggled early on with my swing and I went out of bounds on the fifth and it just seemed that every time I miscued it was pretty severe and the other boys got away with it.

“That’s how it goes and I am not bitter. I probably had a couple of breaks earlier in the week you can’t be bitter about stuff like that.

“The breaks went for the two guys I was playing and not for me. It would be great if they come my way the next time I am in contention in the final round.”

Davies, who equalled his career-best finish earlier this season after finishing sixth in Abu Dhabi, will enjoy a week off before turning his attention to next week’s Trophee Hassan II in Morocco.

Noh’s success made him the second youngest winner in European Tour history, at age 18 years nine months.