By Rahul Banerji
A closing four-under par 67 carried Gaganjeet Bhullar into tied fifth place at the International Series Korea in Jeju Island on Sunday,
Starting the final day at Lotte Skyhill Country Club in shared tenth place, the recent Indonesia Open winner had just one blemish on hole 17 to finish on 11-under 273.
That left Bhullar four shots shy of first-time Asian Tour winner Taehoon Ok who edged compatriot Bio Kim with a birdied last hole to take the $270,000 winner’s cheque.
Two-time Indian Open winner Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia aced the 184-yard par-3 fifth hole on his way to a level par final round and 51st place overall on 2-under 262.
As he had done at the International Series Singapore last week, Veer Ahlawat struggled down the home stretch. Though he had a final round of 66, his 74 on Saturday held him back to shared 29th place.
Bhullar had cards of 72, 65, 69 and 67 for his 11-under aggregate, while Ahlawat carded a 70-66-74-68 sequence for his six-under total of 278.
Tough day
“It was quite tough today actually, because the last few days, the golf course has been really soft,” Bhullar said on the Asian Tour website.
“Didn’t rain the last three-four days, so today the back nine greens started getting a little firm.
“It was very difficult to adapt, last few days the conditions were totally soft, and then suddenly on Sunday afternoon back nine, you know, everything turns out to be a little firm.
“So, there was a bit of adjustment in that, but I think overall I played pretty well the last three rounds,” Bhullar added.
Trevor Simsby of the US took sole third place behind the two Koreans on 13-under 271.
asiantour.com adds
It’s the first time that Ok has triumphed in his five-year professional career, and he was made to work right to the very end to secure it.
He started the day with a one-shot advantage and after making three birdies in a row from 11, had a two-shot lead and appeared on course for a comfortable victory.
However, moments after he missed a 15-foot par putt on the par-three 17th, Bio, playing in the group ahead, holed a six-foot birdie putt on 18 to tie the lead on 14 under.
With a sudden-death play-off looking a strong possibility, Ok responded by hitting a masterful third shot close in before confidently holing out.
“I asked my caddie on 17 if he really thought I can birdie 18 and he said, ‘go for it’,” said the 23-year-old.
“I have learned a lot by playing in the final pairings recently so that really helped.”
He came close to winning the Kolon Korea Open this year and was tied for the lead after the third round but carded a 75 on the final day to finish in a tie for sixth.
Ok also tied for fifth in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May, where Bio Kim emerged winner.
The Asian Tour travels to Japan next for the 38th Shinhan Donghae Open at Koma Country Club from September 8 to 11.
It will mark the first time the prestigious Korean event has been played in Japan.
Also read: Ahlawat, Bhullar rise on International Series Korea leaderboard
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