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Malaysian men's team strike gold in Hanoi SEA Games with dramatic win over Thailand, women's team bag silver
Malaysia won the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games men's team gold medal for the first time since 2001, scoring a dramatic 2-1 victory over favourites Thailand in the final at Heron Lake Golf Club in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The Thais however gained consolation by bagging the women's team gold, edging Malaysia 1.5-0.5 following a hard-fought final.
The men's final was a nail-biting affair that came down to the last hole of the last match. Rhaasrikanesh Kanavathi chipped in for birdie at the par-five 18th to secure the gold for Malaysia, winning 2-up against Thailand's Pongsapak Laopakdee.
The teams were tied 1-1 at that stage with Malaysian No 1 Ervin Chang winning 2 and 1 against Weerawish Nakhprachar and Marcus Lim losing 1-down to Thai teen prodigy Ratchanon Chanthananuwat. The fourth member of the Malaysian side, Nateeshvar Anatha Ganesh, was rested.
The men's bronze medal went to the Philippines with a 2-1 victory over Singapore.
The Malaysian women's team meanwhile went down fighting to Thailand in the final. Jeneath Low lost a close-fourth match to Eila Galitsky 1-down, and Mirabel Ting squared with Natthakritta Vongtaveelap to put the final score at 1.5-0.5 in Thailand's favour. The third member of the Malaysian women's team is 14-year-old Ng Jing Xuen.
The bronze medal match saw the Philippines edge Singapore in a playoff after the teams were tied 1-1.
Malaysia will leave Hanoi with its best ever medal haul from golf with two golds, a silver and a bronze. Earlier, Chang won the men's individual gold and Wong the women's individual bronze.