No joy for McKibbin as Strydom surges to Singapore Classic victory

Tom McKibbin couldn't quite muster up a final-round charge as Ockie Strydom fired a flawless nine-under-par 63 to burst through the field and win the Singapore Classic.

FINAL LEADERBOARD

McKibbin was two shots behind co-leaders Alejandro Del Rey and Jeung-Hun Wang ahead of the last day of action. The 20-year-old was looking to become Irish golf's youngest tour winner since Holywood clubmate Rory McIlroy won the Dubai Desert Classic aged 19 in 2009.

However South African Strydom, who started the day four shots off the pace, caught fire, leapfrogging Finland's Sami Valimaki to take the glory by a shot on 19-under-par. McKibbin finished in a tie for 12th pn 13-under following a closing one-under 71.

Valimaki was three clear of the field after sinking a 30-footer for birdie at the 10th, but Strydom reeled him in, adding four back-nine birdies to his five on the way out.

The pick of the bunch was on the par-five 18th when he left himself in a bit of trouble through the green with his second, but he held his nerve and chipped his shot stone dead to tap-in for birdie and set the target at 19 under.

That left Valimaki heading up the last needing an eagle to win or birdie to force a play-off but he left his second shot short and a par was the best he could manage.

Looking back on his touch of magic at the last, Strydom said: "It's a funny one. I said to my caddie that it's either got to go up in the air and if you hit a bit behind it, it's wet.

"I took a wedge, it came out absolutely phenomenal. I didn't think it was coming out that good. But it did and ended up where it was."

Strydom's maiden win, at the Alfred Dunhill Championship, was back in December and helped him get over the line here.

He said: "It's a mindset that's changing at