'This is for dad': Izz dedicates Thailand Open win to cancer survivor
Malaysia came close to celebrating a golden double in Bangkok, but Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman was denied in the women's final, settling for second place after an inspired run.
The 21-year-old Izz showed grit and composure to clinch the men's Open crown in Bangkok on Thursday, overcoming Singapore's Mike Ong 223-183 in the sudden-death decider after losing the opening game 183-202 in the 1+1 stepladder final format.
Izz, who entered the final as top seed after leading the third-round roll-off with a six-game total of 1,383, stood firm despite the pressure of seeing his advantage erased by Mike's opening win.
"This victory means everything to me. I dedicate it to my dad, who was diagnosed with stage two nose cancer last September," said Izz.
"He's cancer-free now and going through recovery. He told me before this trip not to bowl with pressure, just to give my best. That really fired me up to make him proud."
Izz, who had won the KL Open last month, now has four senior titles to his name, having also bagged the Penang Pesta International and Singapore's Sonic Classic last year.
Even more satisfying for Izz was successfully defending the Thailand Open men's title for Malaysia — an honour roll that includes his idol Rafiq Ismail, who won in 2015 and 2023, and finished runner-up in 2017 and 2022. Rafiq could only place 16th this year.
"It's a proud moment for me to be in the winners' circle of a prestigious event like this, especially following in the footsteps of Rafiq, someone I've always looked up to," added Izz, who earned 350,000 Thai baht ( RM45,700) in prize money.
In the stepladder finals, Mike had worked his way up from the three-way quarter-final, scoring 246 to outgun Jaris Goh of Singapore (221) and Aldric Bathan of the Philippines (189).
He then produced another strong performance with 258 in the semi-finals to edge Malaysians Syazirol Shamsuddin (214) and Tony Wong of Hong Kong (212).
Meanwhile, in the women's division, Siti Safiyah came close to recapturing the title she last won in 2019 but was denied by Singapore's top seed, Charmaine Chang, who prevailed 242–224 in the final.
The second-seeded Malaysian had earlier stormed through the semi-final with a 231 score to beat compatriots Nora Lyana Nastasia Norkamal (201) and Nur Syazwani Sahar (158), resulting in Malaysia locking down three of the top four spots.
Nora Lyana was bidding for her third title following her previous triumphs in 2015 and 2023.
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