Jaidee wins after play-off

Thongchai Jaidee has won the Ballantine’s Championship following a play-off after the tournament at Jeju Island’s Pinx Golf Club ended in a three-way tie.

The Thai golfer trailed third-round leader Robert-Jan Derksen by four shots coming into the final day.

But as the Dutchman fell away, Thongchai shot a round of two-under 70 to move into joint first alongside Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and local player Kang Sung-hoon on four-under overall.

That forced an extra hole at the par-five 18th.

After both he and Kang placed their third shot close to the pin, the 39-year-old had to wait as Jeju Island native Kang placed his birdie attempt from six feet just wide of the hole.

He then stepped up and holed his own putt from five foot to win his second co-sanctioned European and Asian Tour event of the year following his success at the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open in March.

Thongchai had trailed Fernandez-Castano then Kang by one shot for most of the fourth round.

But, when the leading duo dropped shots at 17 and 18 respectively, Thongchai held par throughout his final eight holes after earlier carding three birdies and a bogey to force the extra hole.

He had to watch nervously, however, as both of his opponents had chances to pull further ahead after reaching the 18th green in three shots during their regular round.

Fernandez-Castano dropped off the pace with rounds of 74 and 76 over the next two rounds as wind and rain affected the €2.1m event.

He trailed Derksen by five shots at the start of play this morning, but a round of three-under 69 including four birdies and an eagle at the fourth, pushed the runner-up from last week’s Volvo Open in Beijing to the top of the leaderboard.

Kang, a regular on the Korean Tour, moved up on early leaders Fernandez-Castano and Pablo Martin after 10 holes at four-under after making a charge with two birdies and a 10th-hole eagle in only his third event on the European Tour after featuring in China last week and at this same tournament last year.

Another eagle at the 16th after dropping a shot a hole earlier pushed him into a one-shot lead as he took to the final hole.

There he had the chance for a birdie to move further into the lead and all but cement his first tournament win, but he three-putted his attempt to drop back to four-under 68.

Fernandez-Castano was next up at the final hole, but his long-putt attempt at a birdie stopped just short, but he still made par to leave the two tied in first place with Thongchai who still had two holes to play.

The Thai golfer was still level with the leaders as he began his final hole thanks to a birdie after the turn. After finding the fairway he made the green with his third shot, but left himself with a long putt to make birdie and win the tournament.

His first attempt missed and continued a good six foot beyond the hole to leave his place in the play-off in doubt.

But he holed the attempt at par to card a two-under 70 on the day and join Kang and Fernandez-Castro in the shootout.

"I like to play this course and in the first and second rounds I was putting well, but in the third round the wind was very strong,'' said Thongchai.

“Today on the back nine I hit every green, had a lot of two putts. The putting is not easy here. It was windy and difficult to control.

“I never think about winning a tournament but this is my biggest win in terms of prize money and my aim for this year is to reach the top 50 in the world.”

Overnight leader Derksen surrendered his two-shot cushion over the chasing pack with bogeys at the second, eighth and ninth to drop back to three under overall by the turn, while a further dropped shot at 15 ended his hopes of a first win of the season with a round of 76.

Ernie Els joined Derksen at two under after shooting a one-under 71. The pair were joined by England’s Seve Benson, who carded a three-under 69 today while briefly flirting with the lead before holing a double bogey at 17, and Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello (70).

Spanish Open winner Peter Lawrie warmed up for the defence of his title next week with the day’s best round of six-under 66 to move up to one under overall, where he was joined by Mardan Mamat and Danny Willett.

Meanwhile Pablo Martin, who had led with Fernandez-Castano after nine holes, missed out on his first win since claiming the 2007 Open de Portugal as an amateur after he feel off the pace due to three bogeys and a double bogey on the back nine to leave him at par overall, four-over 76 for the day.

Elsewhere world number nine Henrik Stenson finished at 10 over as he followed up yesterday’s round of 81 with a three-over 75, while earlier in the tournament defending champion Graeme McDowell had dropped out after failing to make the cut with rounds of 76 and 73 in the opening two days.