For 32 holes stretching again to Saturday, Rashid Khan’s pole place remained in large part unchallenged. Chasing his 3rd win at the Asian Tour, the 32-year-old house contender met his fit within the ultimate holes with Philippines’ Miguel Tabuena snatching a one-stroke win in fading mild to stroll away because the DGC Open champion.
It had appeared like a simple ultimate day in Rashid’s bid for a win for the easier a part of the day. But it changed into a see-sawing contest at the different facet of a 77-minute climate interruption – rain halted the competition on Saturday too — as Tabuena stuck up with Rashid and went forward, the 28-year-old changing into the primary Filipino since 1969 to win in India.
Ben Arda, a nine-time winner at the Asian Tour, was once the closing guy from the Philippines to take most sensible honors in India when he gained the Indian Open at Kolkata’s RCGC.
Holding a three-shot lead in a single day, Rashid best controlled a good par 72 on Sunday whilst Tabuena shot a super, bogey-free 65 to complete 12-under for the match. In the tip, bogeys at the fifteenth and seventeenth holes harm Rashid with a birdie end proving best just right to complete 2nd, one shot transparent of Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat (10-under). S Chikkarangappa (8-under 280) and SSP Chawrasia (bogey-free 7-under 281) completed fourth and 5th respectively.
Rashid had a sedate get started, not like the rousing Day 3 he had. His first birdie arrived best at the par-5 8th hollow prior to he went one-over at the again 9. Six photographs at the back of the chief to start out the day, Tabuena’s nice momentum, capped by means of back-to-back birdies at the fifteenth and sixteenth carried him previous Rashid.
“I do not really feel I used to be conservative or too protected as of late. Had I been ultra-aggressive, I might have carded some distance worse,” Rashid said. “The key on this course is driving and that is one area where I fell short today. I was driving well on the practice tees but just couldn’t trust the turf.”
Unlike Rashid, Tabuena, who went bogey-free within the first spherical too at the slim fairways, fired 3 birdies at the entrance 9. Gradually mountaineering the leaderboard, he got here into his personal after the elements interruption, a birdie at the fifteenth leaving him one shot at the back of the chief. Rashid neglected a par putt on that hollow and the bogey allowed Tabuena to catch up. The 28-year-old nudged forward at the subsequent hollow with a decisive birdie. He neglected a three-footer for every other birdie at the 18th, however 4 birdies at the again 9 had delivered the win.
“It’s very exhausting to head for the flag from the tough right here. I informed myself to simply stay being cast off the tee and my putter has been lovely sizzling for the previous few tournaments. I additionally capitalized at the par-5s throughout the match,” mentioned Tabuena.
With two tough holes to head, wresting again his place was once going to be tricky and a bogey below drive at the seventeenth extinguished hopes of victory.
“I needed to opt for it. I used to be looking to hit my 8-iron and I thinned it once more and ended up creating a bogey,” Rashid mentioned. An eagle at the 18th would nonetheless have pressured a playoff in a redux of closing 12 months, however a birdie is all he controlled. .
Making it an total advantageous day for India had been Gaganjeet Bhullar (69), Om Prakash Chouhan (72) and Honey Baisoya (72), who had been all tied for 6th at six-under 282 in conjunction with Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai (69).
