Tabuena pips Rashid by one shot for DGC title

It had looked like a simple ultimate day in Rashid’s bid for a win for the simpler a part of the day. But it became a see-sawing contest at the different facet of a 77-minute climate interruption – rain halted the competition on Saturday too — as Tabuena stuck up with Rashid and went forward, the 28-year-old changing into the primary Filipino since 1969 to win in India.

Ben Arda, a nine-time winner at the Asian Tour, was once the final guy from the Philippines to take most sensible honours in India when he gained the Indian Open at Kolkata’s RCGC.

Holding a three-shot lead in a single day, Rashid simplest controlled a fair par 72 on Sunday whilst Tabuena shot an excellent, bogey-free 65 to complete 12-under for the match. In the top, bogeys at the fifteenth and seventeenth holes harm Rashid with a birdie end proving simplest excellent to complete 2d, one shot transparent of Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat (10-under). S Chikkarangappa (8-under 280) and SSP Chawrasia (bogey-free 7-under 281) completed fourth and 5th respectively.

Rashid had a sedate get started, not like the rousing Day 3 he had. His first birdie arrived simplest at the par-5 8th hollow ahead of he went one-over at the again 9. Six pictures at the back of the chief to start out the day, Tabuena’s nice momentum, capped by back-to-back birdies at the fifteenth and sixteenth carried him previous Rashid.

“I don’t feel I was conservative or too safe today. Had I been ultra-aggressive, I would have carded far worse,” Rashid mentioned. “The key on this course is driving and that is one area where I fell short today. I was driving well on the practice tees but just couldn’t trust the turf.”

Unlike Rashid, Tabuena, who went bogey-free within the first spherical too at the slender fairways, fired 3 birdies at the entrance 9. Gradually hiking the leaderboard, he got here into his personal after the elements interruption, the birdie at the fifteenth leaving him one shot at the back of the chief. Rashid ignored a par putt on that hollow and the bogey allowed Tabuena to catch up. The 28-year-old nudged forward at the subsequent hollow with a decisive birdie. He ignored a three-footer for any other birdie at the 18th, however the 4 birdies at the again 9 had delivered the win.

“It’s very hard to go for the flag from the rough here. I told myself to just keep being solid off the tee and my putter has been pretty hot for the past few tournaments. I also capitalised on the par-5s through the tournament,” mentioned Tabuena.

With two difficult holes to move, wresting again his place was once going to be difficult and a bogey beneath force at the seventeenth extinguished hopes of victory.

“I needed to pass for it. I used to be looking to hit my 8-iron and I thinned it once more and ended up creating a bogey,” Rashid mentioned. An eagle at the 18th would have nonetheless pressured a playoff in a redux of final yr, however a birdie is all he controlled.

Making it an general advantageous day for India had been Gaganjeet Bhullar (69), Om Prakash Chouhan (72) and Honey Baisoya (72), who had been all tied for 6th at six-under 282 together with Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai (69).