Sharma finishes 16th at KLM Dutch Open on DP World Tour

Cromvoirt (Netherlands), May 29 (PTI) Shubhankar Sharma played a bogey-free round on the final day, but would still have been disappointed with just two birdies for a round of 2-under 70 that saw him finish tied-16th in the KLM Dutch Open, a part of the DP World Tour. Sharma with rounds of 67-74-72-70 totalled 5-under for the week. Pablo Larrazábal of Spain produced a brilliant finish as he birdied the final two holes to win for the second time in his last three starts. Sharma, who started the week with a 67, shot 74 and 72 in his middle two rounds and both included a double bogey each day. On the final day, while he avoided the bogeys, he could not get many of his birdie putts to drop.

Shubhankar, who started the year with a T-7 in Abu Dhabi, has since finished in the top-20 only twice — at the Hero Indian Open, where he was T-13 and his week in KLM Open a T-16. Sharma is currently 65th on the Race to Dubai rankings.Manu Gandas, the other Indian in the field, missed the cut. The 40-year-old Larrazábal was the man to catch ahead of the final round but a double bogey on the second hole saw others have a chance. No less than seven players held a share of the lead at various points of time at Bernardus Golf.

He converted a 21-foot birdie putt at the last for a three-under par 69 and a two-stroke victory on 13 under. Larrazábal won the Korea Championship — his last non-Major start –in April and now has four victories in the space of 15 months following his victory at the 103rd edition of the Netherlands’ national open. Fellow Spaniard Adrian Otaegui finished on 11-under par and was second. Denmark’s Rasmus Højgaard and South African Deon Germishuys shared third place on 10-under par, with Poland’s Adrian Meronk, Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Daniel Hillier of New Zealand were a shot further back in a tie for fifth.