Keh loses dramatic playoff
Auckland’s Wenyung Keh has had to settle for a share of second at the inaugural Women’s Amateur AsiaPacific tournament, following a dramatic four-way playoff.
Keh’s final round of four under par was sparked by a birdie on the fourth and an eagle on the fifth to apply scoreboard pressure on eventual winner Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand at the Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore.
Thitikul held a three-shot lead for the majority of the day before a double-bogey on
12 turned the championship on its head.
She finished with an even 71 for a four-way tie at -8 with Yuka Saso (Philippines), Yuna Nishimura (Japan) and Keh after 72 holes.
Keh’s four-under-par 67 was her best round of the tournament. She was first to drop out of the playoff with a one-over 5 on the 18th.
It would take two more playoff holes before Nishimura bogeyed the par-four third hole to gift Thitikul the victory.
A victory in the playoff would have given Keh three huge opportunities in 2018. By winning the playoff, Thitikul earns entry to the HSBC Women’s Champions, the ANA Inspiration and the Ricoh British Women’s Open.
‘‘It was a great week and I’m happy I gave myself a chance,’’ Keh said. ‘‘This was a new experience I can really learn from and I don’t think I’ve been in a four-way playoff before.
‘‘I just wanted to enjoy myself this week, play on an amazing golf course and it just turned out really well,’’ Keh said.
The runner-up in the AsiaPacific gains automatic entry into the Ricoh Women’s Open final qualifier but because it was decided on Amateur World Ranking points, Keh missed out to Yuka Saso.
Amelia Garvey was the next best of the Kiwi contingent in a tie for 24th spot, with Brittney Dryland taking a share of 40th, Juliana Hung just behind in a tie for 42nd and Caryn Khoo was in a tie for 47th.
Earlier, Rose Zheng missed the cut.