Khalin Joshi 8th, other Indians slip as Korean Kim wins Singapore International

KIm Joohyung and Khalin Joshi. Pic: Paul Lakatos/ Asian Tour

Singapore, January 16: Khalin Joshi finished as the best Indian in Tied-8th place as the windy Tanah Merah Country Club continued to play tough on the final day of The Singapore International.

Korean teenager Joohyung Kim (70) lost a two-shot lead with two holes to play but then beat Thailand’s Rattanon Wannasrichan (72)  in the first play-off hole as he sank as 14-foot birdie.

Thailand’s 14-year-old amateur star Ratchanon Chantananuwat was in contention for much of the day which saw a battle of the teenagers. He finished sole third when he returned a 69 to finish 2-under for four days and two shots shy of the play-off.

It was a disappointing finish for the Indians, who had at least two players in Top-10 for three rounds and had players in contention for 54 holes. As Chikka slid down to T-39, Viraj Madappa was the second best Indian with a round of 70 and a total of 6-over 294.

Rashid Khan (74) ended T-24th alongside Abhijit Chadha (69) at 7-over 295. S Chikkarangappa collapsed on the final day with 82 and at 9-over 297 he was T-39, while Shubhankar Sharma (73) and Shiv Kapur (72) were T-46th at 10-over 298. Ajeetesh Sandhu had to withdraw after testing positive for Covid before play. It would also put a question mark against him playing next week at Singapore Open.

Joshi, who led on the first day, shot 76 and totalled 4-over 292 in a tournament, where only four players finished with a total of par or better. Chikka , who was third and three behind the leader after three days,  shot 82 largely because of  a nightmarish ‘nine’ on Par-3 16th. Chikka put himself out of the running as he started the day with three bogeys in a row.

The 19-year-old Kim, who won his maiden Asian Tour title in India, and Rattanon, playing together in the final pairing, finished the tournament tied on four under, after Kim closed with a 70 and Rattanon 72.

Coming into the final stretch Kim led by two after 16 before there was a remarkable turn of events. The Korean found trouble with his second shot on 17. He pushed his approach right into a penalty area next to a lake, took a drop, chipped to 15 feet and bravely made a 15 footer for bogey.

Rattanon was also in trouble on 17 but made a brilliant up and down from the greenside bunker for par before the drama unfolded on the last.

Kim still held a one-shot lead playing the final hole in normal time. However, Rattanon made an eight-foot birdie after a brilliant chip from behind the green while the Korean took two to get out of the greenside bunker, after a difficult lie for his third, before making a brave par putt from three feet to force the tournament into a sudden-death play-off.

The 19-year-old prodigious Korean talent holed a pressure-packed 14-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole, on the Tampines Course’s daunting par-five 18th, as Rattanon missed his birdie attempt from eight feet.

The victory saw Kim, who earned a cheque for US$180,000, overtake Australian Wade Ormsby on the Asian Tour Order of Merit with one more event remaining this season, next week’s SMBC Singapore Open.

Ratchanon went out in five-under-par 31 but came back in three over which included a double on 17.

 

Indian scores after Round 3 of the The Singapore International being played at the par 72, 7535 Yards Tanah Merah CC course

 

T-8: Khalin Joshi  67-74-75-76 (292)

T-21: Viraj Madappa  77-71-78-70 (294)

T-24: Rashid Khan 75-76-70-74 (295); Abhijit Chadha  72-79-75-69 (295)

T-39: S Chikkarangappa  75-70-70-82 (297)

T-46: Shubhankar Sharma  73-75-77-73 (298); Kapur  79-72-75-72 (298),

Read also:

Chikka, Joshi in Top-5, stay in contention at Singapore International

Joshi’s putter slips but lies second; Chikka, Sandhu also in Top-10; 8 make cut in Singapore

Khalin Joshi leads and Sandhu lies third in Singapore International

 

Vinkmag ad

Read Previous

Chikka, Joshi in Top-5, stay in contention at Singapore International

Read Next

Magical Matsuyama equals wins record at Sony Open in Hawaii in stunning fashion

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *