NARA (Japan): Indian golfer Ajeetesh Sandhu shot a bogey-free final round, but his 2-under 69 effort was only good enough for a T-38 finish in the Shinhan Donghae Open on Sunday.
Sandhu did have four sub-par rounds at 68-66-70-69, but in a week when the scores were quite low, he had to settle with a 38th-place finish, as Japan's Kazuki Higa birdied the final two holes to win the tournament at Koma Country Club in Nara, near Osaka.
Shiv Kapur, the other Indian who made the cut, shot even par 71 but finished Tied-66th.
Higa showed just why he is currently ranked the number one player in Japan when as he holed a pressure-packed 15-foot birdie putt on the short, driveable par-four 18th to return a six-under-par 65 for a tournament total of 20 under.
He secured a two-shot victory over Tirawat Kaewsiribandit of Thailand, Korean Mingyu Cho and Yonggu Shin of Canada.
Tirawat, who started the day with a three-shot advantage and held a narrow lead for much of the day, closed with a 72 including an incredible albatross. while Cho fired a 66, and Shin a 68.
Korea's PGA Tour star Siwoo Kim, playing in the final group, returned a 70 to end three behind the winner, in a tie for fifth, along with the 2019 champion Jbe Kruger of South Africa, who signed off with a 63 -- the best of the day.
Higa's bid for victory came at the very death. Playing in the penultimate group and trailing Tirawat by one with two to play, he birdied the par-five 17th to draw level before the under-pressure Thai golfer bogeyed the 16th to fall one behind.
However, Tirawat bravely bounced back with a birdie on the 17th to draw level again before Higa made his brilliant birdie on the last, where he found a greenside bunker from the tee before splashing out to set up his sensational closing putt.
That meant Tirawat needed to make a birdie to force a sudden-death play-off but he missed.
