Shubhankar finishes tied 9th at Mexico golf championship

Young Indian golfer and overnight leader Shubhankar Sharma stumbled in the fourth and final round as he carded a three-over 74 to finish tied ninth in the $10 million World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship here on Sunday.

The 21-year-old, who held a two-stroke lead coming into the final round, bogeyed five holes on the fifth, 13th, 14th, 17th, 18th as he birdied the 12th and 16th holes for a 74 at the Club de Golf Chapultepec.

World No.75 Shubhankar, making his debut appearance in the World Golf Championships, was short on experience and that finally took a toll on him as he went through a tough back-nine.

Shubhankar's four-day total of 10-under 274 (65-66-69-74) was six shots behind world No.34 Phil Mickelson (five-under 66) and No.3 Justin Thomas (64) after 72 holes of regulation play.

The American pair took the game to the play-off where five-time major winner Mickelson prevailed after playing a par effort on the par-three 17th hole, while Thomas missed the putt for the par.

Tyrrell Hatton and Rafa Cabrera Bello scored 67 each in the final round to finish tied third with identical totals of 15-under 269.

Left-hander Mickelson, 47, earned $1.7 million in prize money, an exemption onto the PGA Tour through the 2020-21 season, 550 FedExCup points. Apart from this, he will also get an automatic berth in almost every major championship including The Players Championship this season.

Mickelson, who won a title after British Open triumph in 2013, said: "To have the belief that I was going to get there and finally break through and do it feels incredible. I believe that more is to come

--IANS

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