The fickle hand of fate that guided India’s Rahil Gangee through the first three rounds of the PKNS Selangor Masters wavered today, but he was able to hold on to secure a dramatic wire-to-wire finish against an onslaught of his younger competitors.

His five-shot lead going into the final round in overcast conditions disappeared within a matter of holes as he was unable to find the form that had bewitched the field since round one. With three bogeys in his first nine, and another to match on hole 10, he soon found himself neck and neck with Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong in an old fashioned duel to the finish.

And with local rising star Marcus Lim and Australia’s Deyen Lawson breathing down their necks just one shot behind at Kelab Golf Seri Selangor, both knew that the slightest slip could prove fatal in the US$175,000 Asian Development Tour event, the fourth tournament of the year.

Fortunately for Gangee, the clouds finally parted. He was able to craft a birdie on the par-three hole 12, and that brief glimpse of sunshine was enough to get his game back in gear. A second birdie followed, with another two holes later, and by the time he reached the 17th tee, Runchanapong had dropped away and only Lawson was left, two shots behind.

And how quickly those two shots vanished. Gangee (73) was only able to manage a bogey while Lawson’s birdie meant the pair were heading down the final fairway with just one shot between them. And yet, after all that, the pair were only able to bogey the 18th and Gangee was finally able to breathe easily with the win secured (272) and Lawson (69) in solo second.

“Having a five-shot lead has got its own challenges. You think it’s going to be easy, but there are certain nerves that show up that you don’t expect … and they definitely showed up on a golf course like this!

“Having said that, I think also I had a good head on my shoulders today. I just kept it down and kept going through. Played one shot at a time and kept believing in myself,” said Gangjee.

Gangjee paid tribute to his wife, Ruhi, who caddied for him throughout the week. “My wife, Ruhi, she’s basically been a rock to me. She keeps putting positive thoughts into my head and that’s what basically helped me win.”

“I lost my Asian Tour card last year, went to Q-School and didn’t get it back. I wasn’t really in the best shape. I have been playing well back home and am now ranked number three in the Order of Merit, but my goal is to get my Asian Tour card back via the ADT. This win is a great stepping stone,” noted Gangjee.

Lawson was stoic in defeat, although the missed putt on the 18th obviously stung.

“I hit a really good putt, but just misread it. It’s a tricky pin and just so hard to get to, but I think everyone would have struggled with it. It’s a good result in the end, I finished second,” said the 33-year-old, who also finished runner-up in 2023 jointly with Runchanapong.

Runchanapong (69), two under at the turn after three birdies and a bogey, was unable to maintain the charge and a double on the par-four 16th hold put paid to his chances.

“I got off to a pretty good start and then kept the momentum going, but didn’t have many chances for birdies on the back nine. But I double bogeyed 16, which cost me the tournament. Even so, everything feels good. I’m playing solid golf right now and am excited for the next few events,” Runchanapong said.

For Lim (69), playing in his first tournament as a professional, his performance gave a glimpse in what could be a great future in the world of golf. Despite two early bogeys, he recovered well to make the turn in one-under-par. A birdie on 13 moved him closer but he also fell foul of the 18th hole, and his bogey there meant he shared third place with Runchanapong.

Lim was elated with his performance and noted that he learnt a lot this week. “I definitely learnt a lot about myself, how to carry myself on the golf course and a lot about my game. It’s been a great week because I played with a lot of experienced players. This gives me a lot of confidence going into the rest of 2024.”

Lim moved up to 12th place on the ADT Order of Merit with the USD11,025 cheque he received for finishing joint third. The 22-year-old also pocketed a RM10,000 bonus as the leading Malaysian, with Paul San the next best local player in joint seventh on one-under-par 279 (70, 71, 68, 70).

“I have a lot of respect for all the other Malaysian pros. They’re all great players and I think I just got lucky this week. A lot of them have given me good advice since turning professional,” said Lim.

Poosit Suprapramai (66) of Thailand posted the only bogey free round of the day, his four birdies helping into a share of fifth spot alongside compatriot Sarut Vongchaisit (71).

In seventh place Malaysia’s Paul San (70) finished alongside Thailand’s Kosuke Hamamoto (71), trailed by fellow Thai Danthai Boonma who posted a 64 to take the low round of the day and a share of ninth spot, alongside Malaysia’s Shahriffuddin Ariffin (70) and Siddikur Rahman (69) of Bangladesh, who bucked the bogey trend at the difficult par four 18th by holing out from the fairway for a closing eagle.