By IANS,
Wentworth : Jyoti Randhawa once again showed his amazing ability to finish strongly with a two-under-par 70 in the final round at the BMW PGA Championship to be in lone fifth place at Britain’s Wentworth course.
Randhawa, starting the final day Sunday in fourth place, finished at eight-under 280.
The finish helped Randhawa climb to 23rd on the European Money list and also saw him jump from 88th to 72nd in world rankings. It also fetched him a purse of 190,800 Euros that took his year’s earnings on European Tour to past 401,000 Euros.
Playing with England’s Oliver Wilson, who lost the title in a play-off to Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez, Indian star Randhawa was in with a chance to even make a bid for the top as he was nine-under after 15 and a mere three behind the leaders. Randhawa, who was 10-under for the par-5s till then, not only dropped a shot on 16th, but also failed to convert the par-five 17th and 18th and fell to fifth.
Randhawa, who has had a string of top-10 results on the Asian Tour this season, shot four birdies against two bogeys for an eight-under-par 280 total.
The former Asian Tour number one ended his campaign three strokes behind champion Jimenez who won a play-off battle against Wilson. Both players were tied on 277 after four rounds in the 4.5 million euro event.
Randhawa birdied fourth and fifth and then added a third birdie on 12th as he continued his plunder of par-5s. A dropped shot on 13th was quickly made up by a birdie on 15th, but another dropped shot on 16th and then failure to find birdies on 17th and 18th saw him stay in fifth.
Jiménez started the final round tied with Wilson and four shots behind Robert Karlsson. They made an early bid to close that gap. Jiménez made a dramatic charge with birdies on the third and fourth followed by with a magnificent ace on the fifth, holing his four iron from 187 yards. Suddenly Jiménez was in front.
Wilson picked up four birdies in the front nine to match Jiménez’s outward half of 31. Jiménez edged ahead with a birdie on the 13th but somehow missed from a foot for par on the 15th as Wilson birdied for a two stroke swing.
More drama followed when Wilson drove into the trees on the 17th on his way to making a bogey sixth and when he parred the last Jiménez had victory in his sights. He pushed his second to last right of the green and needing a chip and putt to win, duffed his first attempt before making par to move into extra time.
With nothing separating them, the two players returned to the 18th to continue the drama. With Wilson in the greenside bunker in two and Jiménez on the back of the green, the Spaniard had the upper hand but he three putted for a five, matched by Wilson.
At the second time of asking Jiménez again played a perfect drive and was on in two but Wilson, as he did on the 72nd hole, pushed his drive right and was forced to lay up. He pitched to 12 feet but his putt slid by and Jiménez safely two putted for a birdie four and the title.