DGC Open: Miguel Tabuena pips Rashid for title

Just when it appeared Rashid Khan had the DGC Open title firmly secured in his hip pocket, Miguel Tabuena picked it up.

The dramatic twist to the finale of the $750,000 occasion got here after Tabuena’s birdies on the fifteenth and sixteenth holes coincided with Rashid’s bogeys on the fifteenth and seventeenth holes.

Minutes later, Tabuena’s beautiful 7-under 65 for a 12-under 276 proved sufficient to fetch him $135,000. An exasperated Rashid, who aggregated 277, collected $82,500 after paying closely for these late errors in judgement.

If Rashid managed to keep away from sharing the second spot with Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat, it was because of the final-hole birdie, after lacking an unlikely eagle-putt wanted to pressure a playoff with Tabuena.

Moments after Rashid missed his eagle putt, a relieved Tabuena celebrated his first title on the Asian Tour in 5 years with a fast video name to his spouse.

For the higher a part of Sunday, Rashid stayed at the very least two pictures forward after beginning the spherical with a three-stroke lead.

The turning level was Tabeuna’s back-nine 32 dotted with birdies on the tenth, twelfth, fifteenth and sixteenth holes that noticed him meet up with Rashid at 12-under. Within minutes, Rashid dropped a shot on the fifteenth to lose his lead for the primary time. He went on to bogey the par-3 seventeenth after touchdown his tee shot within the greenside bunker and failing to achieve the inexperienced together with his second shot. Rashid two-putted, a lot to the reduction of a nervous Tabuena who watched the motion on the TV display screen within the scoring room.

“I was solid off the tee and with him iron-play,” stated the champion whereas reflecting on his closing spherical. “I’ve played several times on this course and I know that one has to be patient here. All week, I did not shoot an over-par score. I really played well.”