Horror chip at final hole costs Hill a tilt at play-off for first title

One “heavy handed” chip cost Calum Hill a chance at his first European Tour title but the Perthshire golfer continued his 2021 surge in form in Kenya with a first victory surely not too far away.

Hill’s only bogey in the furious final round at the Kenya Savannah Classic in Nairobi came on the final hole. Excruciatingly, it knocked him out of the play-off won by South Africa’s Daniel van Tonder over Jazz Janewattananond.

The Crook of Devonbased player finished in a tie for third place after a final round 64 – he had a 65 in the third round for 13-under figures in the final 36 holes, 20-under for the tournament.

However that one bogey at the 18th, after he went too long squeezing his approach under overhanging trees, made the chop and then missed from six feet for par, was the one that counted for the 26-year-old, who plays out of Gleneagles.

It was his playing partner on the final day van Tonder who holed across the 18th green for birdie for his own 64. The South African then bested Janewattananond with a birdie on the third hole in the play-off.

The pair had pushed each other all day and someone was likely to finish on top, reckoned Hill.

“Danny and I had a great battle going throughout the day,” he said. “Lots of fun, lots of birdies, a bit of a salty way to finish it, for me.

“Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes you’re a bit heavy-handed on the chip,” he added ruefully.

Nevertheless it’s Hill’s third top-ten finish of the young 2021 season. Following on from his fourth place at the lucrative Saudi Invitational event in February, he was tied eighth in the first of the Tour’s Kenyan doubleheader last weekend.

“All aspects of my game were pretty solid,” he said. “I didn’t really do too well in the first two rounds this week, but the final two rounds were great. There’s lots of positives from the week.

“You have to hit it very straight, control your distances into the greens, they are undulated, the Kikuyu (grass) around the greens is tricky to chip from. It tests everything”

Hill pocketed just short of $50,000 (£35,500) for his finish but more crucially moves up into 16th place on the Race to Dubai, just a place behind countryman Robert Macintyre, although the lefty is likely to cash more points from the ongoing WGC Dell Matchplay in Texas.

Although early in the season, there are nine Scots inside the Top 75 of the Race to Dubai already. David Drysdale, seeking that elusive first Tour win in 519 starts on Tour (it was only Hill’s 31st) eventually had to settle for fifth with a final round 67.

“Overall, it was a good week,” said the veteran. “I hit some good shots today but didn’t putt particularly well.”

Liam Johnson finished in a tie for 26th on -13. Richie Ramsay ended on nine-under in a share of 42nd.

Perthshire’s Calum Hill had a successful week.