CHONBURI, Thailand -- Jamie Donaldson won his first title of the year after beating Clement Sordet of France and defending champion Lee Westwood by 3 strokes in the final round of the Thailand Championship at the Amata Country Club on Sunday.
The No. 68-ranked Donaldson rallied from two shots behind at the start of the day to shoot a final-round 65 that featured nine birdies and two bogeys for an overall 21-under-par 267 to win the title. The victory gives the Welshman one of four berths into The Open next year.
"It was the case of just going out to play like what I've done in the first two rounds. And it all came together today," said Donaldson, who led after the first two rounds. "Yesterday was important. I wasn't quite on it. I made some crucial par putts, birdied when I could to stay in it."
Third-round leader Sordet, who turned professional just six months ago, showed signs of nerves and struggled with his putts before signing off with a 70 for a 270.
"I played really great golf this week. I was very fortunate to get an invite and it's great to finish tied-second with Lee," Sordet said. "It was just amazing to get to play in the last group with Jamie and Lee. It was a great experience and I really enjoyed it. I wasn't really thinking about the score out there."
Westwood, the 2011 and 2014 champion, shot a bogey-free 67 and also qualified for The Open.
"It's great to be have made it into The Open," Westwood said. "I've played every one since 1995, so it's great to keep that run going. It's been 21 years now and I've not missed one, so I'm happy."
Spain's Sergio Garcia, the 2013 winner, and Byeong-hun An of South Korea shot 69 and 70, respectively, to share fourth place at 14-under 274.
With both Garcia and An already holding Open spots, the last qualifying place went to 16-year-old Phachara Khongwatmai, who finished a shot behind in sixth with a total of 275.
