Disappointing finish for Indians as Korean Bio Kim wins Maekyung Open title

Maekyung Open ended their campaign on a disappointing note after a strong presence on the leaderboard for the first three days. On Sunday, Viraj Madappa and Khalin Joshi, who were lying tied fifth, and Honey Baisoya, who was tied seventh, crumbled and dropped down. Local star Bio Kim (72) won the title by two shots over fellow Korean Mingyu Cho (70). There were 13 Koreans in the Top-15.

Madappa, who was tied fifth overnight, had an early double bogey on second, further bogeys on 9 and 10 and closed with two more on 16 and 18. The three birdies in between just did not give him any room to make a run. Joshi had four bogeys in the first seven holes, two more at the start of the back nine and a further two more on 16 and 18, while Honey Baisoya had four bogeys in the first five holes and two on 16 and 18, just like Madappa and Joshi. In short, it was mayhem and they gave themselves no chances. Madappa still managed to hang in for tied 10th, but it must have been a big disappointment after seeming to contend for the middle two days. Baisoya finished tied 19th and Joshi was 33rd. Karandeep Kochhar (71) was T-38, S Chikkarangappa ( 74) was T-43 as was Veer Ahlawat (74). Gaganjeet Bhullar (78) was T-68. As the local Korean contingent dominated the event Bio Kim finally added another important trophy to his impressive collection of titles when he claimed the Maekyung Open. It was his first Asian Tour win. A favourite coming into the week thanks to a purple patch that stretches back to the end of last year, he carded a battling final round one-over-par 72 to win on nine-under by two from Korean Mingyu Cho, who shot a 70, on a day when organisers estimated 8,000 fans attended. Korean Kyong Jun Moon, winner of this event in 2015,