Samui: Shiv Kapur shot the day’s best card of five-under 66 and rose to a superb fourth place finish in the $200,000 Bangkok Airways Open Golf on the Asian Tour.

That performance entrenched him as the next big star of Indian golf, with his second top-five in as many tournaments, and a third top ten in last four starts.

The 22-year-old Delhi golfer, playing in his rookie year, smashed three birdies in last four holes to rocket into contention at the challenging Santiburi Country Golf Club.

Kapur’s 66 was matched only by one other player, and it saw him finish as the club house leader, but a few players still had to finish. The drama was not over.

After finishing at five-under total, Kapur was rushing to catch his flight to Bangkok on the way back home. He was already on the bus leaving the club, when Amandeep Johl told him to stay back saying that leaders could drop holes coming in.

So Kapur jumped off the bus and waited anxiously for the leaders to come in. Eventually the leaders finished two shots ahead of him in play-off.

Up ahead, Thammannoon Srirot and veteran Lu Wen Teh, battled it out in a play-off. Lu won in the first play-off hole. Prayad Marksaeng also finished better at six-under and ended third.

The 42-year-old Lu shattered the hopes of a home victory by Thammanoon as he edged out the local favourite with a par on the first hole of a sudden-death shoot-out after both players finished tied on seven-under-par 277.

Lu carded a closing one-over-par 72 on a final day that was disrupted by three hours due to torrential rain. But the wait was nothing as it has been a long seven years since Lu’s last triumph.

Kapur who has had a brilliant second half on Asian Tour has now finish seventh in Taiwan Open, third at Crowne Plaza and now third in Bangkok Airways. In between he was 18th at Mercuries Masters.

Of the rest of the Indians, Uttam Singh Mundy had his best finish of the season in tied 15th place after his 74, while Gaurav Ghei, in running for a top-10, faded with a 75 and ended tied 18th.

Digvijay Singh (73) was tied 21st, while Vivek Bhandari was 39th, Amandeep Johl 47th and Rahil Gangjee and Firoz Ali tied for 51st. (PTI)