Incheon -- India's Gaganjeet Bhullar overcame a five-shot overnight deficit with a sublime final round of four-under-67 to record his sixth Asian Tour triumph, at the Shinhan Donghae Open.
Bhullar (68-66-68-67), who was tied fourth at the end of round three on Saturday, ended with a tournament total of 15-under-269 to register a one-shot victory over Zimbabwean Scott Vincent and local lad Taewoo Kim of South Korea.
Bhullar, who last won on the Asian Tour in 2013, had hit a rough patch over the last two seasons due to a wrist injury that he suffered in 2014. However, he announced his return into the top league of Asian golf with a clinical performance on Sunday that handed him his seventh international title.
Bhullar began the day on a positive note with a birdie on the second. However, a bogey on the fourth brought him back to level-par for the day. He then gathered momentum with consecutive birdies on the sixth and seventh, the latter being a 15-feet conversion.
Bhullar stepped it up with birdies on the 10th, 12th, 13th and 14th holes. He was in prime putting form, as he sank a 30-footer on the 10th and two more putts from 12 to 15 feet on the 13th and 14th. He unleashed a terrific tee shot on the par-3 12th which set up a three-feet birdie conversion.
Bhullar had a momentary scare when he bogeyed on the 16th and 17th, but a par on the closing 18th turned out to be good enough to seal the title as Vincent failed to birdie the last hole and take the match into a playoff.
"I had no idea that I was leading by three after the 15th," Bhullar said. "That's when I looked at the leaderboard for the first time today. When I realized that I was ahead by three, it gave me confidence and I thought I was playing well and I just needed to continue to focus and stick to my routine." w
Bhullar has now become the second Indian to win the Shinhan Donghae Open after Jeev Milkha Singh, who won it in 1994.
"The goal was to make a good start to the day and I achieved that by being two-under through the front-nine. I kept the momentum going thereafter. The birdies on the 10, 12, 13 and 14 were crucial as it could've swung either way on that stretch.
I hit most fairways and greens today except for a couple at the end and that was good enough for a win.
"This win means a lot to me. The last time I won was back in 2013. I've gone through one of the lowest phases of my career over the last two seasons when I also suffered a wrist injury. I lost my European Tour card and my winner's status on the Asian Tour in the last two years."