Indian golfer Rahil Gangjee savoured one of his best finishes in recent years by signing off with a similar 65 to take fourth place at The Championship at Laguna National here Sunday.
Chile's Felipe Aguilar saved the best for last when he stormed home with a birdie-eagle finish to win The Championship. The Chilean's stunning finish was for all to see when he raced home in just 28 shots to win with a spectacular 10-under-par 62 at the $1.5 million event, jointly sanctioned by the Asian and European Tour.
Korean-American David Lipsky came up short by one and had to settle for second place alongside Danish overnight leader after carding a 65.
Gangjee's determination to end his decade-long title drought on the Asian Tour showed when he raced home with an unforgettable inward-31. After an outward-34, the Indian parred the next four holes before a flurry of birdies, starting from the par-four 14 saw him close with a 65 that was to be his best score for the week.
"The last few holes went by in a hurry. My heart was beating fast on the 17th tee when I hit that six-iron. It ended on the edge of the green and did not move from there. I kept myself in it and it was a bonus that the putt went in. This is my best finish so far and my best four round score ever," said Gangjee.
Gangjee knows it will not be longer before he returns to the winner's circle but is looking forward to a well-deserved rest after The Championship.
"It's my physical ability to carry on which has been tested this week. It was really difficult to stay focussed out there in the heat as you get more and more tired towards the end of the round. I'm looking forward to going home now," said Gangjee.
The other Indian in the fray Anirban Lahiri, who won the Indonesian Masters last week, finished tied sixth with scores of 67-70-68-66, totalling 271.
Leaderboard:
266 - Felipe AGUILAR (CHI) 65-67-72-62.
267 - David LIPSKY (USA) 64-68-70-65, Anders HANSEN (DEN) 67-66-67-67.
269 - Rahil GANGJEE (IND) 66-67-71-65.
270 - Chris WOOD (ENG) 68-67-68-67.
271 - Anirban LAHIRI (IND) 67-70-68-66, Gregory BOURDY (FRA) 66-70-67-68.
273 - David DRYSDALE (SCO) 68-70-70-65, Raphael JACQUELIN (FRA) 69-70-68-66, Tommy FLEETWOOD (ENG) 68-67-69-69.
