Golf: Randhawa tied 13th, Liang wins in Manila

Manila: Jyoti Randhawa signalled his return to form with a fine six-under 66 in the final round as he finished a creditable tied 13th at the inaugural Resorts World Manila Masters, here today.

Randhawa, who reeled off six birdies on front nine with five of them in a row, finished at 10-under overall and was the best Indian of the week.

Behind him SSP Chowrasia missed a great opportunity to add another top-10 finish as he dropped two crucial double bogeys on the back nine and finish tied 20th down from overnight sixth.

Chowrasia carded 73 and ended at nine-under 279.

Meanwhile, Himmat Rai, lying fourth overnight, also crashed to tied 20th as he carded a 74 which included a double bogey and four bogeys besides an eagle and two birdies.

Among other Indians Digvijay Singh (71) was tied 37th at five-under 283, Sujjan Singh (71) was tied 41st at three-under 285 and Abhinav Lohan (76) was tied 54th at even par 288.

China's Liang Wen-chong (69) marked his return to the Philippines after more than five years by defeating Thailand's Prom Meesawat in the first play-off hole after a nailing a birdie on the 18th to get into the tie-breaker.

Then, the Chinese star's third Asian Tour win was made even more significant as he decided to donate half of his total winnings to victims suffering from the aftermath of the devastating Typhoon Haiyan.

"Before coming over to the Philippines, I was really affected by what I saw of the damage and victims suffering from the aftermath of the Typhoon on television. I've decided to donate 50 per cent of my winnings to do my part and support the relief efforts," said Liang, who took home the winner's prize cheque of USD 135,000.Liang, who had taken the overnight lead, extended his advantage after two birdies on holes three and four during regulation play. He dropped a shot on a par-three fifth but turned his game around following a double-bogey six on the ninth.

The Chinese decided to drop his cautious approach and opted for aggressive play instead. His attack paid off handsomely as he fired four birdies on the holes 11th, 13th, 15th and the all-important 18th which would lead the contest into a play-off with Prom after compiling his four-day total of 16-under-par 272.

At the first play-off hole, Liang seized the advantage when Prom's second shot found the bunker. The Thai could only blast his shot out of the bunker while Liang was in prime position for an eagle opportunity.

Liang snuffed out all hopes for Prom when his putt from the edge of the green stopped inches away from the pin. A simple tap from the 2007 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner was enough for him to seal the title.

Meanwhile Prom was left to wait longer for this second Asian Tour win despite a gutsy performance on a day where he carded a flawless 65 to stand on the brink of ending his seven-year title drought.

While the second win continued to elude him, Prom was optimistic with his welcome return to form as he had spent several frustrating years searching to regain it.

Canadian rookie Richard T Lee enjoyed another solid result in the Philippines after posting the day's lowest round of 64 to share third place with fellow Asian Tour rookie Carlos Pigem in equal third on 273.