Mr Nice Guy makes it two

08/02/1999

GERRY NORQUIST held on his slim overnight lead like a bulldog before
romping to a runaway win in the US$750,000 Benson and Hedges Malaysian
Open at Saujana Golf and Country Club yesterday.
The American kept his cool to fire a final round one-under 71 for a
four-day total of eight-under 280 - three strokes ahead of second placed
Alex Cejka of Germany and compatriot Bob May.
The win not only landed him a purse of US$121,125 (RM460,27) but also a
European Tour card, which he promptly signed after receiving his trophy
from Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Ja'afar at the 18th hole.
Regarded as one of the tour's nice guys, Norquist said it was his
biggest ever payday.
"I've been called a steady and consistent player but underneath, I can
jump up and down like a jelly bean," said Norquist, who had four birdies
and three bogeys in his round. It was his second Malaysian Open title,
having first won in 1993 when he beat Fiji's Vijay Singh by a stroke at
the Royal Selangor Golf Club.
Norquist, a 36-year-old former insurance salesman from Arizona, led the
field from the second round onwards and failed to crack under pressure
unlike so many other Europeans who found the Saujana greens too fast to
their liking.
The overnight leader teed off with Ed Fryatt, the defending champion,
and American Shaun Micheel. The duo were hot on Norquist's heels up till
the 14th when they were five-under and six-under respectively.
Norquist hit the green safely in two while Fryatt and Micheel had to
bring out their sand wedges. Fryatt came out safely and landed three feet
from the flag but Micheel fumbled and landed on the rough.
At the par-4 15th, Norquist again played it safe and reached the greens
in two but Micheel landed in the pond and dropped back further.
Fryatt had a chance of sinking a birdie from two feet but missed the cup
by a whisker. He tried for par and the ball lipped the edge and came out
again. The bogey on the 15th made him furious and he kicked his golfing
bag in anger.
The Englishman was still in the game but a gallant attempt at the 17th,
where he tried to carry the ball across a cluster of trees and pond,
landed him in trouble.
It was at that point that Norquist knew the title was his and he played
standard golf, nothing fancy but deadly all the less.
He had tried six times for an American PGA card but failed while his
attempt in 1991 to play in Europe was also a disaster.
"I played a very frigid week at pre-qualifying at Montpellier in 1991. I
feel very privileged to be part of the European tour now," he said, but
added he would still come back to play tournaments in Asia.
"Before I came to Asia, I heard horror stories - the food, greens being
so slow you need a mallet for a putter, the heat, the snakes, the
sickness. But I took the decision to come and it was the best I ever
made."
On whether he will be back for the Malaysian Open, Norquist had this to
say: "In 1993, after beating Vijay Singh, I remember a newspaper caption
which said: `I love you Malaysia'. Although I don't remember saying it, it
captured my feelings then.
"I love the weather and the heat, and the people are so friendly - so
many friendly faces and they accept me. I feel very close to Malaysia." RYDER CUP STANDINGS
Leading points after the Malaysian Open: 1 Colin Montgomerie (Scot)
5,334 pts; 2 Darren Clarke (N Ire) 3,291; 3 Sven Struever (Ger) 2,600; 4
Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spn) 2,513; 5 Robert Karlsson (Swe) 2,005; 6 Andrew
Coltart (Scot) 1,990; 7 Lee Westwood (Bri) 1,960; 8 Jarmo Sandelin (Swe)
1,935; 9 Alex Cejka (Ger) 1,806; 10 Patrik Sjoland (Swe) 1,590; 11 Pierre
Fulke (Swe) 1,411; 12 Bernhard Langer (Ger) 1,369; 13 Steve Webster (Eng)
1,193; 14 Gordon Brand Jr (Scot) 1,146; 15 Per-Ulrik Johansson (Swe) 977;
16 Peter Baker (Eng) 973; 17 Sam Torrance (Scot) 945; 18 Paul McGinley
(Ire) 932; 19 Padraig Harrington (Ire) 912; 20 Costantino Rocca (Ita)
891. FINAL ROUND SCORES (Malaysian unless stated)
(Malaysian unless stated): 280 Gerry Norquist (US) 67-67-75-71; 283 Alex
Cejka (Ger) 70-73-69-71, Bob May (US) 72-69-70-72; 284 Chawalit Plaphol
(Tha) 76-71-69-68, Andrew Coltart (Sco) 70-71-73-70, Chang Tse-peng (Tai)
77-64-73-70, Padraig Harrington (Ire) 70-73-70-71, Shaun Micheel (US) 69-
71-70-74.
285 Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 72-72-72-69, Ed Fryatt (Bri) 70-69-71-75; 286
Scott Rowe (HK) 74-70-72-70, Kim Jong-duk (S Kor) 73-71-71-71, Nick O'Hern
(Aus) 74-71-70-71, Frankie Minoza (Phi) 67-74-73-72, Andrew Bonhomme (Aus)
70-74-70-72, Christopher Hanell (Swe) 75-67-72-72, Craig Hainline (US) 70-
71-72-73, Choi Kyoung-ju (S Kor) 68-71-73-74, Wang Ter-chang (Tai) 69-72-
71-74, Christian Chernock (US) 70-71-70-75.
287 Jim Rutledge (Can) 70-74-74-69, Thomas Levet (Fr) 72-73-70-72, Gary
Evans (Bri) 75-67-72-73, Anders Hansen (Den) 70-71-73-73, Jarmo Sandelin
(Swe) 74-71-68-74, Paul McGinley (Ire) 74-71-68-74.
288 David Howell (Eng) 70-75-74-69, Robert Karlsson (Swe) 74-70-74-70,
John Bickerton (Eng) 73-72-73-70, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 74-72-68-73, Dean
Wilson (US) 71-68-75-74, Simon Yates (Sco) 77-69-68-74.
289 Per Haugsrud (Nor) 74-70-74-71, Andrew McLardy (SA) 78-67-73-71,
Chris Williams (Eng) 73-71-74-71, John Mellor (Eng) 72-73-72-72, Eric
Meeks (US) 71-73-73-72, Gilberto Morales (Ven) 71-72-74-72, Zhang Lian-wei
(Chn) 66-75-75-73, Daniel Chopra (Swe) 71-74-71-73, Katsuyoshi Tomori
(Jpn) 72-73-71-73, Pierre Fulke (Swe) 73-69-72-75.
290 Brad Andrews (Aus) 73-74-73-70, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 76-70-71-73, Ali
Kadir 75-71-70-74, Greg Owen (Eng) 71-72-70-77.
291 Jose Coceres (Arg) 75-69-76-71, Christian Pena (US) 66-75-74-76,
Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 71-72-70-78; 292 Rolf Muntz (Hol) 73-74-74-71, Lin
Keng-chi (Tai) 72-72-70-78; 293 Rob Huxtable (US) 75-70-75-73, Tomas Munoz
(Sp) 68-71-80-74, Eric Rustand (US) 70-76-73-74, Marcello Santi (It) 70-
71-74-78.
294 S. Murthy 76-70-74-74, Jerry Smith (US) 71-73-75-75; 296 Jonathan
Lomas (Eng) 73-74-77-72, Stephen Bennett (Eng) 71-76-73-76, Choi Gwang-soo
(S Kor) 73-72-73-78, Kyl Hla Han (Mya) 72-73-73-78.
297 Robin Byrd (US) 75-72-75-75; 298 Robert Derksen (Hol) 74-71-73-80;
299 Charlie Wi (S Kor) 73-71-80-75; 301 M. Ramayah 73-74-72-82.
(END)