Thongchai Jaidee won the Ballantine’s Championship yesterday after beating South Korea’s Kang Sung-hoon and Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano on the first hole of a playoff.
The 39-year-old Thai clinched his fourth European Tour title when he made birdie on the par-four 18th, the first hole of the playoff.
“When we got to the playoff, I knew that I would stand a good chance as I had just finished playing that hole about 15 minutes ago,” Thongchai said of winning his 12th Asian Tour title.
PHOTO: AP
Fernandez-Castano lost his opportunity in the playoff when his second shot went through the back of the green, while Kang disappointed the locals when he pushed his birdie putt wide after he and Thongchai had reached the green in two shots.
The 22-year-old Kang, who hails from Jeju, also threw away a one-shot lead in regulation with a bogey on the last hole of a round that featured two eagles.
Thongchai, who had begun the day four shots behind overnight leader Robert-Jan Derksen, finished on four-under 284 for the tournament at the Pinx Golf Club.
He started the day strongly with a birdie at the par-four first and another at the fourth, before he dropped a shot at the fifth. Picking up another birdie at the 10th, he held par for the rest of the round to post a two-under 70.
Fernandez-Castano made the biggest charge of the day after starting five shots behind Derksen, taking a share of the lead with compatriot Pablo Martin at the turn on the back of two birdies and an eagle three at the fourth.
The 29-year-old mixed two birdies with two bogeys on the home stretch to finish with a 69, while Martin’s challenge collapsed on the back nine when he shot three bogeys and a double-bogey six at the 13th for a 76.
Kang made an eagle on the par-five 10th and another on the par-five 16th to combine with two birdies on the front nine, although the bogey at the last ruined his chance of winning the title.
Derksen, who had a two-shot lead entering the final round, also slumped to a 76 after three bogeys on his front nine. The Dutchman finished in a tie for fourth with Britain’s Seve Benson (69), Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello (70) and South Africa’s Ernie Els (71).
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
Francesco Bagnaia yesterday profited from a mistake by rookie Pedro Acosta to win the Japan MotoGP sprint and close the gap on overall championship leader, Jorge Martin. Spaniard Acosta crashed with four laps to go while leading the field at Motegi, allowing defending world champion Bagnaia to take first ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez. Spain’s Martin finished fourth and saw his overall lead over Italian Bagnaia in the championship standings cut to 15 points. “I am very happy because with these conditions, it’s not very easy to win and gain points,” Bagnaia said after a sprint race that took place under
RSS