Andre Stolz secured his second victory of the season on the OneAsia Tour when he triumphed in the Thailand Open after an enthralling head to head battle with local golfer Prayad Marksaeng on Sunday.
Stolz, who won the season-opening Indonesia PGA Championship in March, fired a final round nine-under-par 63 to beat Prayad by two shots at Suwan Golf and Country Club.
The Australian had started the day three behind overnight leader Prayad but stormed through with nine birdies including six on the front side. He finished with a four-round aggregate of 22-under-par 266.
Prayad, bidding to become only the third Thai to win his national Open, closed with a 68. It was also an impressive round made up of five birdies with the only blemish being a bogey on par-five 18th, where he found water with his third.
"I hit a lot of great shots early on and obviously Prayad and I were battling each other, it was great fun," said Stolz.
"I knew I had to get a fast start and he comes out making birdies as well. The heat knocked me about and I battled the last four or five holes and hit a lot of horrible shots."
Fellow Australian Brent McCullough and Korean Choi Jin-ho tied for third on 17 under par.
The $US180,000 ($A174,000) winner's cheque allowed him to overtake Korean Kim Kyung-tae at the top of the OneAsia Order of Merit with $US433,125 ($A418,842) from six events.
The victory is the continuation of a remarkable comeback for Stolz who emerged from retirement just two and a half years ago.
In 2005 a nagging wrist injury forced him to stop playing for nearly three years.
