Kim claims Asian Tour top spot after play-off drama

SINGAPORE: Kim Joo-Hyung claimed the Singapore International yesterday in a gripping sudden-death play-off against Thailand’s Rattanon Wannasrichan at Tanah Merah Country Club.

Korea’s 19-year-old prodigious talent holed a pressure-packed 14-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole, on the Tampines Course’s daunting par-five 18th, before Rattanon missed his birdie attempt from eight feet.

The victory also saw Kim, who earned a cheque for US$180,000, overtake Australian Wade Ormsby on the Asian Tour Order of Merit with one more event remaining this season, next week’s SMBC Singapore Open.

Kim and Rattanon, playing together in the final pairing, had finished the tournament tied on four under, after Kim closed with a 70 and Rattanon 72.

Thailand’s amateur star Ratchanon Chantananuwat, aged just 14 years old, took sole possession of third when he returned a 69 to finish two shots shy of the play-off.

This was Kim’s second success on the Asian Tour, following his win in the 2019 Panasonic Open in India.

Kim had looked to be on course to take the title in more comfortable fashion and held a one-shot lead playing the final hole in normal time, but Rattanon made an eight-foot birdie after a brilliant chip from behind the green while the Korean took two to get out of the greenside bunker, after a difficult lie for his third, before making a brave par putt from three feet to force the tournament into a sudden-death play-off.

It was a remarkable turn of events as the Korean was two ahead with two to play but found trouble with his second shot on 17. He pushed his approach right into a penalty area next to a lake, took a drop, chipped to 15 feet and bravely made a 15 footer for bogey.

“To be honest, I was walking down the fairway on that shot [on 17], to that pin. I thought I had this under control and just didn’t play safe enough,” said Kim.

Rattanon was also in trouble on 17 but made a brilliant up and down from the greenside bunker for par before the drama unfolded on the last.

LEADING FINAL ROUND SCORES

(par-72, a denotes amateur)

284 — Kim Joo-Hyung (KOR) 72-73-69-70, Rattanon Wannasrichan (THA) 73-66-73-72

286 — Ratchanon Chantananuwat (a, THA) 75-66-76-69

288 — Pavit Tangkamolprasert (THA) 71-75-74-68 289 — Paul Peterson (USA) 70-73-76-70, Kosuke Hamamoto (THA) 74-75-69-71

291 — Kim Bi-O (KOR) 72-77-72-70

292 — Wade Ormsby (AUS) 72-74-76-70, William Harrold (ENG) 69-78-75-70, Shahriffuddin Ariffin (MAS) 73-75-74-70, Steve Lewton (ENG) 73-75-73-71, Jazz Janewattananond (THA) 71-73-76-72, Chan Shihchang (TPE) 71-77-71-73, Donlaphatchai Niyomchon (THA) 75-73-69-75, Khalin Joshi (IND) 67-74-75-76