Journeyman Kim wins maiden title in South Korea

Kim Seung-hyuk of South Korea celebrates with the winner’s trophy after the final round of the 2014 SK Telecom Open in Seoul yesterday.

AFP/SeoulJourneyman Kim Seung-Hyuk birdied the last for a two-under-par 70 yesterday to secure his first professional title at OneAsia’s SK Telecom Open. The 28-year-old South Korean finished 11 under for the tournament—one ahead of compatriots Lee Tae-Hee and Kim Kyung-Tae. Australian David Bransdon also challenged down the stretch but had to settle for fourth place at nine under, while star attraction K.J. Choi ended a shot further behind. The lead changed hands several times in a gripping final round—at one point the top four were all tied at 10 under—on a day where there were birdies aplenty, but also bogeys lurking around every corner. Sharing the overnight lead with multiple-winner Kim Kyung-Tae, Kim Seung-Hyuk looked to have blown his chance with a double-bogey at the fourth, but birdies at five and seven got him back in the mix. “I didn’t panic after the double,” he said in comments released by organisers. “There was still a lot of holes to come, so I just tried to focus on my game.” One group ahead, Lee birdied 17 and just missed another on 18 to post a 10-under par target, while playing partner Bransdon made amends for a dropped shot at 17 with a final hole birdie to finish one behind. Kim Kyung-Tae fell away after dropping shots on 11 and 12, but back-to-back birdies on the next two—as well as a birdie and bogey on 16 and 17 -- kept him in the hunt. The Kims walked onto the 18th both needing a birdie for victory; Kim Kyung-Tae’s 20 footer slid agonisingly by, while Kim Seung-Hyuk found the cup from nine feet. “It was a fantastic feeling when it went in,” he said. “Now I know I can win a golf tournament, so I can set my sights on winning more.” Manila: Australian Marcus Both won an emotional two-shot victory at the Philippine Open yesterday to seal an amazing comeback after a “hard road” of a year which saw him almost leaving the game. Both, 35, sank a bogey on the last hole at the touchy Wack Wack Golf and Country Club course in a Manila suburb, giving him his third Asian Tour victory after winning the 2009 Cambodian Open and the 2003 Sanya Open in China. He posted a two-under-par 70 for a winning total of six-under-par 282 at the end of the four-day, $300,000 tournament. Both, who lost his Asian Tour card last season after a run of poor form and had to rely on a sponsor’s invitation this week, was almost speechless with joy after his victory.  “People say they haven’t seen me smile this much ever,” he said. “The last 12 months have been really tough. I kind of feel some vindication in some ways for making the choices that I have,” he added in comments supplied by the organisers. “It was an emotional year on and off the golf course after I lost my Tour card... It was so bad that I even thought of quitting the game.”  Winning did not come easy for Both, had to make a huge 20-foot birdie putt on 15 followed by a short birdie on 16 to win the top prize of $54,000. “I hit my putt on 15th a bit too hard but it went in. I gave it a bit more speed than what I had intended to. Then I hit one of my best swings on 16 and the wind died when I needed it to. Those two holes gave me some momentum,” he said.  Second place was a five-way tie at 284 between Bangladesh’s Siddikur Rahman, Australian Nathan Holman, Thailand’s Arnond Vongvanij and Antonio Lascuna and Jay Bayron, both of the Philippines. “I was confident I could win this event but I didn’t putt too well on the second and third day. This is part of golf. This course is very challenging and you can mess up on any hole,” said Rahman, who had taken an early lead on the first day.