Sentosa, Singapore, January 19: Rashid Khan was unable to find the momentum to make a charge after dropping two shots in the first five holes on the final day of the SMBC Singapore Open on Sunday. He did manage three birdies later on but by then any chance he may have had of a higher finish had ended. He finished one-under 71 for a total of nine-under 275 and was Tied-eighth.
With four of the seven players ahead of him also not exempt for The Open at Royal St. George’s Rashid also missed out on making his maiden Major.
Among India’s other players SSP Chawrasia (71) was T-32nd, Rahil Gangjee (71) was T-37, Khalin Joshi (72) was T-48thand Shiv Kapur (73) was T-63rd.
The day belonged to American Matt Kuchar, who started the day with a three shot lead and ended it the same way, but with the final lead being over a different player, Justin Rose (67).
Thai Jazz Janewattananond (71), lying second behind Kuchar overnight, was presented an unexpected chance on the seventh hole after the leader had extended his lead to four with a birdie on fourth.
Then Kuchar’s tee shot on the Par-five seventh came up against the root of a tree. His first attempt to punch the ball out missed the ball. Then his shot flew left of the green, hit a cart path and went out of bounds. After hitting his sixth shot to the front of the green, Kuchar managed to hole a crucial putt from 10-feet for a triple-bogey eight. Jazz birdied for a four-shot swing and both players were now 15-under.
Kuchar picked up the pieces on thee back nine with three birdies as Jazz dropped shots on 12thand 13th. The birdie on 18thcame late and he ended third.
In between Justin Rose despite three bogeys on front nine found seven other birdies for a 67 to finish second at 15-under.
Behind the top three, already exempt for the Open, there was an intense fight for the four spots for the last Major of 2020.
Korean teen Kim Joohyung (71) held his nerves to finish fourth and pick up the first spot, while Richard Lee (72) grabbed two birdies in last four holes to finish fifth and take the second.
Thai Poom Saksansin (65) played brilliantly to take another one while Japan’s Ryosuke Kinoshita (67) finished birdie-birdie to snatch the last spot.
Indonesia’s Danny Masrin (68) birdied the 18th, as did Filipino Miguel Tabuena (76), who had nightmarish final round, and Rashid Khan, who needed to birdie last three holes to get into a play-off with Poom and Kinoshita, managed just one. Masrin, Rashid and Tabuena finished tied-eighth.
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