Chikka slips at finish, ends 3rd; Shubhankar 35th

A back-nine meltdown saw S Chikkarangappa miss out on a chance to win his third Asian Development Tour title, as he finished third here.

Chikk at one stage ran up a five-shot lead after a stirring start of four straight birdies on first four holes and was bogey-free for 65 holes but dropped five shots, including two double bogeys on 12th and 15th, to end with a round of 70 and a total of 19-under for the week.

In contrast, Thai Pavit Tangkamolprasert birdied his last three holes and caught up with local hero Lin Wen-tang to get into a play-off. Pavit beat Liun on the fourth play-off hole to claim his fifth Asian Development Tour (ADT) title at the USD 150,000 Charming Yeangder ADT on Sunday.

Chikka settled for third place with rounds of 68, 65, 66 and 70. Another young Indian, Shubhankar Sharma finished T-35th with a final round of 74. He had rounds of 70, 68, 71 and 74.

Chikka s first error of the week, a double on 12th was followed by two birdies right away but another double-bogey on 15 and a bogey on 16 saw victory slip away from his grasp as he signed for a 70 to finish one-shot back of Lin and Pavit at the Charming Yeangder ADT, one of the richest events on the ADT this season.

“I played well, especially at the start. I think I was just unlucky on the back. I hit a bad drive and a bad second shot to make a double-bogey on 12. I managed to recover from that but my ball caught a flyer on the 15 and I made another double there. I played some amazing golf today but I think luck was just not on my side,” said the 22-year-old Indian, a two-time ADT winner. “I guess these things do happen. I was really happy with how I have been playing, especially staying bogey-free for most of the week. It s still a learning experience for me. I played so good and it was three bad shots that costed me my win. It s all part of the game,” added Chikka.