Brett Rumford wins ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth

Australia’s Brett Rumford won the ground-breaking inaugural ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth tournament. The home player claimed his sixth European Tour title.

Brett Rumford of Australia beat Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai in the six-hole final of the inaugural ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth. In front of a delighted home crowd, Rumford beat the Thai teenager by 2&1 to mark the climax of a thrilling final day.

Rumford led the tournament through 54 holes of strokeplay by five shots. The Perth native had carded 17-under-par for the first three rounds. He continued his dominance through the matchplay on the final day.

Starting as Number 1 seed of the 24 men who qualified for the matchplay, Rumford had a bye in the first round but he then defeated Hideto Tanihara, Wade Ormsby and Adam Bland en-route to the final.

Khongwatmai only made it into the top-24 after a playoff on Saturday but he found his form on the final day. The 17-year-old defeated Sam Brazel, Lucas Herbert, Matthew Millar and Jason Scrivener to make it to the final.

Rumford, 22-years Khongwatmai’s senior, started the final strongly, going one-up at the first hole. But the teenager got back on level terms at the second after Rumford failed to find the green in regulation. The Australian displayed his superb short game to get up-and-down and move one ahead again through four, he then sealed the win with a brilliant approach to the fifth.

Adam Bland finished third, seeing off Jason Scrivener in a playoff. 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen was fifth.

3 Talking points from the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth

1 – This was a sixth European Tour title for Brett Rumford and it’s a hugely welcome one. He finished 118th on last season’s Race to Dubai and lost his playing rights. He now has an exemption to the end of the 2018 season. "It's great to be back. I've done a lot of reflection these past few months after missing my Tour card last year,” he said. “I had a tough year and didn't see my family that much, only four weeks in six months. It was a gruelling six months but I'm back and I couldn't be happier."

Brett Rumford on how to play the 50 yard pitch:

2 – The new format for this tournament was a great success. The final day, featuring no fewer than 23 6-hole matchplay matches was exciting for spectators and players alike. "Golf is bigger than one person. If it's going to grow the game and it's more than just a golf tournament and it becomes an event in which we're trying to grow this sport with a bit more thrill and excitement about it, then I think as a Tour we've done a great job,” said tournament champion Brett Rumford.

3 – At just 17, Phachara Khongwatmai would have been the second youngest winner in European Tour history had he got past Rumford in the final. It wasn’t to be, but the young Thai clearly has a great future in the sport. He won the 2013 Sing Hua Hin Open on the ASEAN PGA Tour when he was just 14 and he claimed a title on the Asian Developmental Tour in 2015. He’s one to watch.

ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth Lake Karrinyup CC, Perth, Australia Feb 16-19 Purse €1,300,000 par 72

1    Brett Rumford (Aus)            €210,255 2    Phachara Khongwatmai (Tha)        €140,170 3    Adam Bland (Aus)            €78,973 4    Jason Scrivener (Aus)            €63,078 5    Louis Oosthuizen (RSA)            €53,490 6    Steven Jeffress (Aus)            €44,154 7    Matthew Millar (Aus)            €37,846 8    Wade Ormsby (Aus)            €31,539 T9    Adam Blyth (Aus)                €25,567 T9    Austin Connelly (Can)            €25,567 T9    Lucas Herbert (Aus)            €25,567

Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage