PHOTO: AFP

RISING STAR: The 34-year-old Yang Yong-Eun emerged from obscurity to win the $5 million HSBC Champions golf tournament .

Shanghai: Jyoti Randhawa failed to find the touch that made him one of the leading contenders over the first three days at the HSBC Champions golf tournament to finish a disappointing tied ninth in the star-studded event.

With a one-over par 73 in the fourth and final round, the Indian ace slipped from overnight third, while Korea's Yang Yong-Eun (69) cruised to a brilliant two-shot win despite two bogeys in the last three holes.

Yang (69) totalled 14-under 274, while holding off the challenge of three of the world's finest players — World No.1 Tiger Woods, South Africa's Retief Goosen, New Zealand's Michael Campbell and the rest of the high-class field.

Randhawa's ninth place was the only top-10 for India, which at one stage had three in the zone.

Jeev 17th

Jeev Milkha Singh also had an error-riddled 73 that saw him finish 17th after being eighth overnight.

Shiv Kapur had three each of birdies and bogeys and ended tied 18th, while Gaurav Ghei, began and ended with a double bogey in a roller-coaster round of 74 to finish tied 26th.

The 34-year-old Yang overhauled overnight leader Goosen mid-way through the day and survived a late stumble to eventually score a two-shot triumph over Woods, with the disappointing South African and Campbell tied for third a further shot back.

The victory, by far the biggest in the Korean's career, fetched him $833,300 and with it the honour of being crowned the `Champion of Champions' for 2006.

Randhawa, who led for first two days, did not have greatest of starts as he opened with a bogey, while his playing partners found safe pars.

He dropped a shot on fourth and when he double-bogeyed the sixth, he seemed to fall out of the race for the title.

Randhawa never did find his rhythm after that.

He parred six holes from seventh to 12th and then bogeyed the 13th. Four more pars followed and he finished with a birdie to come to a disappointing seven-under after being 10-under at the midway stage of the tournament.

Jeev tried to be aggressive but it did not work as he had three bogeys and just one birdie on the front nine for a 38 and then managed three birdies, but also dropped two bogeys on the back nine to finish with a 73 and a total of five-under 283.

Important scores: (final round): Yang Yong-Eun (66-72-67-69) 274; Tiger Woods (72-64-73-67) 276; Retief Goosen (68-67-69-73) 277; Michael Campbell (66-70-77-64) 277; Marc Warren (66-71-70-71) 278; Paul Casey (73-68-68-71) 280; Padraig Harrington (67-70-73-70) 280; Robert Karlsson (73-68-69-70) 280; K.J. Choi (68-72-71-70) 281; Johan Edfors (68-74-69-70) 281; Jim Furyk (73-66-74-68) 281; Francesco Molinari (72-68-69-72) 281, Jyoti Randhawa (65-69-72-75) 281; John Bickerton (68-71-71-72) 282; Luke Donald (70-69-71-72) 282, Colin Montgomerie (69-70-76-67) 282; Jeev Milkha Singh (70-69-71-73) 283; Shiv Kapur (71-67-74-72) 284. — Agencies

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