So close for Kelly

Malaysian amateur misses out on title after a 74 in final round

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian amateur Kelly Tan just missed out on her attempt to win her first big title but it was still a creditable finish from the young Malaysian in the Enjoy Jakarta Ladies Indonesia Open at the Palm Hill Golf Club yesterday.

The 18-year-old Kelly took a one stroke lead going into the final round after she concluded the remaining six holes of the second round for a three-under 69. But her failure to keep the ball on the fairway in the final round proved costly.

Kelly finished sole third with a two-over 74 for four-under 214 total, two strokes behind second placed Hsieh Yu-ling of Taiwan.

Kelly did not get a single birdie yesterday but instead bogeyed the eighth and 12th holes.

Despite this, it was still a laudable effort as she held her own against a field of seasoned professionals and she was pleased with her performance.

“I played well but could not hold on to the lead. Had I started with a birdie or two, it could have spurred me to go for the title and perhaps apply a little aggression to my game. But when I dropped a shot, I switched to caution-play,” rued Kelly.

Another Malaysian amateur Michelle Koh also did well with a 73 for sole seventh place on 216.

Thai golfer Kongkapan Patcharachutan came strong on the final day to card a four-under 68 to win the title by three strokes over Yu-ling.

Yu-ling also shot the final round’s lowest score of four-under 68. However, it was the Thai who finished on top with a three-round total of 209 while Yu-ling finished on 212.

Patcharachuta, who had three top 10 finishes on the Ladies Asian Golf Tour events, picked up birdies on the first, third, fourth, seventh and 15th holes but dropped one at the 18th.

“My concentration was very good today and I was able to stay calm. I have been playing well recently and it keeps getting better. I am so happy to win,” said Patcharachuta, who received a cheque for US$30,000.

Her previous best finish was fourth place in this year’s Thailand Open.

Smriti Mehra of India, the first round leader on Thursday, had a poor finish carding a bogey on the 15th, a double on 17th and a bogey on the last to fall back into a tie for eighth.

Amateur Inez Putri, winner of this year’s Miss Indonesia, signed off with an 81 to end in a tie for 55th place.