Ramos fades to joint 26th as Thai ace dominates

MANILA, Philippines -- Sean Ramos lost steam when it mattered most, closing with a 74 to finish in a tie for 26th at the Bangkok Classic won by local favorite Sarit Suwannarut in wire-to-wire fashion at the Phoenix Gold Golf Bangkok course in Thailand on Sunday.

Ramos, a Philippine Golf Tour standout, had surged into a tie for ninth after a stellar third-round 68. He was hunting for another strong finish to replicate his recent success on the Asian Development Tour, including a joint-second finish at the ADT Players Championship in Malaysia and a tie for fifth at last week’s inaugural Philippine ADT Open at Luisita.

Starting his final round on the par-5 No. 10, Ramos delivered a birdie. However, instead of sparking a charge toward the Top 5, his momentum sputtered. He bogeyed the 13th after struggling with his long game and iron play, missing crucial birdie opportunities on the two other long holes (Nos. 15 and 18) before dropping another stroke on the first hole.

Unable to arrest the slide, Ramos fought to set up solid birdie looks. He carded five consecutive pars before failing to save par on the seventh, ultimately finishing the day with a 38-36 card.

It was his worst score of the week, following a steady opening 70 and brilliant rounds of 66 and 68 that had put him in contention.

With a 10-under-par 278 total, Ramos dropped to a share of 26th. It is a developmental setback likely to further steel the rising Filipino star as he prepares to resume his campaign at the Ever Glory ADT Open in Taiwan from July 8-11.

At the top of the leaderboard, Suwannarut secured his commanding victory in style. He holed out for an eagle-2 on the first hole en route to a final-round 68, finishing with a stunning 24-under 264 total.

The Thai star cruised to a six-stroke victory over England’s Matt Killen and Hong Kong’s Shunyat Hak, who matched 270s after a 66 and 68, respectively.