PGA Rookie of the Year Xander Schauffele, second overnight, played out a par round of 72 to end third, while one of Ben Coley's selections, Cameron Smith broke into the top five with an eight-under 64. Even that, though, left him eight short of Perez.

England's Paul Casey also finished strong on a low-scoring course, a seven-under 65 firing him to 14 under and a share of seventh, but the day belonged to Perez.

Pat Perez

"I'm not going to change anything, " said Perez when asked on course by the PGA Tour how the win would change things for him.

The 41-year-old added: "I'm still not going to work out, will still enjoy myself, have a bad diet! I've got my group of friends and I'm not going to change anything.

"I'll work hard and take it a day at a time. I'm not getting ahead of myself, I don't look to the past, I'm just doing it."

It was Perez's third PGA title, following on from wins at the Bob Hope Classic in 2009 and the OHL Classic in November last year.

Collated final round scores

264 Pat Perez 66 65 64 69

268 Keegan Bradley 65 71 65 67

271 Xander Schauffele 65 67 67 72, Sung Kang (Kor) 67 68 65 71

272 Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn) 70 68 63 71, Cameron Smith (Aus) 64 71 73 64

274 Lucas Glover 71 67 68 68, Paul Casey (Eng) 77 63 69 65, Danny Lee (Nzl) 73 65 68 68

275 Peter Uihlein 73 68 65 69, Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spa) 67 70 69 69, Anirban Lahiri (Ind) 67 73 64 71

276 Brendan Steele 67 71 70 68, Luke List 70 70 68 68, Stewart Cink 72 68 67 69, Nick Taylor (Can) 70 74 67 65

277 Justin Thomas 70 71 69 67, Cheng-Tsung Pan (Tai) 70 70 69 68, Camilo Villegas (Col) 72 68 70 67, Chez Reavie 68 74 69 66

278 Kyle Stanley 71 67 70 70, David Lipsky 69 71 68 70

279 Scott Brown 70 69 72 68, Ollie Schniederjans 72 68 65 74, Harold Varner III 72 67 70 70, Morgan Hoffmann 70 72 71 66, Patrick Rodgers 70 73 68 68

280 Davis Love III 67 73 72 68, Gary Woodland 66 73 68 73, James Hahn 72 71 68 69, Michael Kim 68 70 72 70

281 Ben Crane 70 71 70 70, Martin Flores 72 76 68 65, Wesley Bryan 71 68 71 71, Branden Grace (Rsa) 72 67 71 71, Cody Gribble 77 68 67 69, Kevin Tway 74 67 70 70, Jamie Lovemark 70 70 70 71

282 Phachara Khongwatmai (Tha) 67 75 71 69, Jazz Janewattananond (Tha) 70 69 66 77, Whee Kim (Kor) 68 75 71 68, Scott Stallings 73 69 72 68, Jhonattan Vegas (Ven) 72 70 66 74

283 Kevin Na 66 73 75 69, Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 72 71 69 71, Poom Saksansin (Tha) 65 74 72 72, Thomas Pieters (Bel) 68 67 77 71

284 Haotong Li (Chn) 72 74 69 69, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 70 71 72 71, Kelly Kraft 70 71 72 71

285 Adam Hadwin (Can) 71 67 76 71, Richard T Lee (Can) 73 70 70 72, Charles Howell III 72 72 70 71

286 Emiliano Grillo (Arg) 73 72 74 67, Hudson Swafford 68 78 71 69, Colt Knost 71 72 69 74, Graham DeLaet (Can) 77 67 68 74

287 Chad Campbell 78 74 66 69, Juvic Pagunsan (Phi) 73 72 70 72, Ian Poulter (Eng) 69 74 74 70

288 Gavin Green (Mal) 73 71 69 75, Jim Herman 69 77 67 75

289 Richy Werenski 72 73 73 71, Scott Piercy 71 73 71 74, Russell Knox (Sco) 74 74 71 70, Danny Chia (Mal) 70 75 72 72

290 Bud Cauley 77 68 70 75

292 S.S.P Chawrasia (Ind) 72 71 74 75

293 Grayson Murray 82 74 64 73, Rodney Pampling (Aus) 72 71 77 73, Robert Streb 76 70 70 77

294 Scott Hend (Aus) 77 73 70 74, Jason Dufner 71 71 76 76, Jonas Blixt (Swe) 69 74 78 73

297 Chris Stroud 72 72 75 78

299 Nicholas Fung (Mal) 72 73 75 79

300 Si Woo Kim (Kor) 74 78 73 75

306 D.A. Points 76 79 75 76

Round three report

Pat Perez is a hot 2/5 favourite for the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur after he extended his lead to four shots by shooting an eight-under-par 64 in round three.

The American, looking for his third career victory on the PGA Tour, carded nine birdies against one bogey in his third round, having improved by one shot in every round so far.

Compatriot Xander Schauffele is second on the leaderboard and also in the betting at 4/1 after a second consecutive round of 67, while South Korea's Sung Kang sits third and can be backed at 12/1.

Japan's Hideki Matsuyama's has been cut to 8/1 after producing the low score of the day in the Malaysian capital, which took him into a tie for fourth place alongside American Keegan Bradley. There's an 11/2 Price Boost on offer for either Kang or Matsuyama to reel Perez in on Sunday and take the title.

Perez finished strongly with birdies on four of the last five holes, including a 17-foot putt at the par-three 15th.

Round two report

American Pat Perez claimed the lead in the CIMB Classic with a seven under par round of 65 despite delays for bad weather in Kuala Lumpur.

Perez, who had been two shots off the lead following a first round 66, hit eight birdies after starting his round on the 10th tee.

His only blemish came on the par four 12th, his third hole of the day, where he had a five but back-to-back birdies followed on the next two holes to get his round back in credit.

Perez, twice a winner on the PGA Tour, turned in 35 but it was from then on that his round really came together in Malaysia. After a birdie on the second he then picked up shots at the following three holes to lie 11 under.

A birdie on the par three eighth followed by another on the ninth, his final hole, saw Perez finish the day seven under par and one shot clear of the field.

Perez's fellow American Xander Schauffele is favourite at 9/4 after an eagle and four birdies in a round of 67 saw him move into second, with Perez just a slightly bigger price at 12/5.

South Korea's Sung Kang shot 68 to finish the day on nine under, tied in third with round one leader Cameron Smith and Belgium's Thomas Pieters, an 8/1 chance.

Smith, who led on day one by a single shot after a 64, could only shoot a one under 71 on day two, his score not helped by a bogey five on the second and a double bogey six on the seventh, which came towards the end of his round having started on the 10th tee.

Tipped by Ben Coley at 55/1 prior to the tournament, he's now 11/1 with Sky Bet.

American Keegan Bradley, the 2011 PGA Championship winner, shot 71 to lie sixth, one shot ahead of Spain's Rafa Cabrera Bello who fought back following two early bogeys.

US PGA champion Justin Thomas, winner of the event for the past two years, followed his opening round 70 with a 71 to lie three under and in a tie for 33rd.

Thomas had another mixed round as five birdies were contrasted by two bogeys and a double bogey six on the 12th.

Round one report

Australian Cameron Smith's blemish-free eight-under-par 64 catapulted him to the top of the leaderboard after the opening round of the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur.

Smith, who broke his duck on the PGA Tour in May at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside Jonas Blixt, made birdies at the third, fourth and fifth and picked up further shots at the seventh and ninth to approach the turn in 31.

A fine approach shot on the 14th left a short putt for another gain and he closed his round with back-to-back birdies to hold a one-shot lead at the end of a first day that was played in stifling conditions.

Smith, tipped pre-tournament by Ben Coley, said: "I grew up in Brisbane. It's kind of similar to this but obviously not as bad as this. But yeah, I enjoy the heat. I always play well in the heat for some reason, I honestly can't tell you why.

"I have to keep the game-plan pretty much the same really: just be smart off the tee, try to hit the fairways and then really aggressive into the greens. It worked so I'll keep that one."

Poom Saksansin and American pair Xander Schauffele, who is Sky Bet's 6/1 favourite to secure the title, and Keegan Bradley are breathing down Smith's neck in the event, which is the first of three on the PGA Tour to be held in Asia in successive weeks.

Thailand's Poom, who made six of his seven birdies on the front nine, said: "I played without any expectations. I just kept playing and the ball kept going in. This is a big event but there is no cut so I'm only feeling 50 per cent pressure."

US PGA champion Justin Thomas has won the event for the past two years and started the defence of his title with an opening 70 that featured five birdies and three bogeys. Thomas is a 15/2 shot to make it three wins on the bounce.