Rattanon in Singapore play-off heartbreak
THAILAND’S RATTANON Wannasrichan lost out in a gripping sudden-death playoff against Joohyung Kim at The Singapore International last Sunday (Jan 16).
South Korea’s 19-yearold 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.
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.
Kim had looked to be on course to take the title in comfortable fashion and held a oneshot 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.
Thailand’s amateur star Ratchanon Chantananuwat, aged just 14-years-old, was in contention for much of the day, making it a battle of the teenagers, took sole possession of third when he returned a 69 to finish two shots shy of the play-off.
Ratchanon was attempting to become the youngest winner on one of the world’s main Tours, aged 14 years, three months, four days.
However, it was not meant to be as despite going out in five-under-par 31, he came back in three over which included a double on 17.