Sneha Singh is the winner of the LET Pre Qualifier Event in Asia after a dramatic two-shot swing on the final hole of the tournament to take a one-stroke victory in India.
The local talent – who calls Hyderabad home – was trailing long-time leader Sock Hwee Koh by a single shot heading into the 18th at Classic Golf and Country Club, before a bogey for the leader and a birdie for Singh saw the lead change hands with the final shot of the week.
The 18-year-old had brought herself into contention with a fantastic round of 66 on day three to sit one off the lead, before shooting 70 in the final round to finish top of the standings in New Delhi, just a couple of months after turning professional.
Four birdies in the final seven holes saw the teenager overcome Singapore’s Koh in the final stages, including a run of three in a row on holes 12, 13 and 14 to put her top of the final standings.
“Since I’ve turned pro I’ve finished second, third, fourth but never at the top of the leaderboard, so I’m really happy to win today,” Singh said.
“I had to be patient out there and had to wait for the putts to drop, they were going beside the hole and not in the hole, but then those three came at once which was great to bring me back into contention.
“I knew the last was a short par-five on the last so I knew I had to go for a birdie and then whatever happens will happen, everything else is out of my control.”
Things didn’t start perfectly for the young talent, with bogeys on holes one and three leaving her two-over par in the early stages, with an early birdie for Koh leaving the Indian four shots off the pace.
But a lengthy birdie putt on the seventh got her back into contention, before the putter caught fire on the back nine, as she rolled in three straight birdies between holes 12 and 14 to move herself closer to the lead heading into the final stretch.
At that point it still looked as if 32-year-old Koh was going to take victory, with the a blemish-free opening 15 holes seeing her three-under for the day and at -9 overall, with Singh lingering on -7.
But as Koh came unstuck with three straight bogeys to finish her day, Singh regained her composure after dropping a shot on the 16th to birdie the last to claim the victory, which will see her head into the LET Final Qualifier held at La Manga Club in December full of confidence.
She continued: “The past two days this course has been playing really nice and smooth, the course has dried up really well and the greens have been getting faster and faster everyday.
“I didn’t start well and was two-over after three holes, but even though I bogeyed those opening holes I was feeling good and feeling good with my putter, and then I made a long birdie on the seventh.
“Then I made some really good putts on 12, 13 and 14 before getting that last birdie on 18, it feels really good to get the win.”
It wasn’t to be in the end for Koh, who had led from the second round up until the final hole of the tournament, with a final round score of 72 seeing her fall agonisingly short after those three straight bogeys to finish her week.
The top nine finishers in New Delhi all qualify for the LET Final Qualifier at La Manga Club between 17-21 December, meaning Koh will get another chance to shine in Spain later this year, as the hunt to earn playing rights on the Ladies European Tour for the 2023 season continues.
India\s Hitaashee Bakshi finished in third place with a final score of -4 after shooting 71 on day four, while Thailand’s Onkanok Soisuwan shot 70 to finish in fourth on -3 overall.
Australian Jordan O’Brien’s second successive round of 71 was enough to earn a fifth-placed finish after finishing the week on level-par, while Neha Tripathi of India and Wenyung Keh of New Zealand finished in a tie for sixth on +1 after final day scores of 70 and 72 respectively.
Seher Abwahl – the niece of PGA Tour player Arjun – fired the round of the day 68 to finish in eighth on +2 to book herself a spot in Spain later in the year, while South Africa’s Cara Gorlei is the last of those to qualify on +5, after shooting 78 on day four.
LET Q-School will resume in December, with Pre Qualifying taking place between 10-13 December at La Manga Club, before the Final Stage takes place between 17-21 December.
