Corpus stumbles late, falls short of Egyptian Open golf crown

MANILA, Philippines — For a moment, it looked like Carl Corpus was on the verge of another Asian Development Tour victory. Showing poise and precision under pressure, Corpus mounted a fiery back-nine charge to seize a share of the lead in the final round of the Egyptian Open at the Madinaty Golf Club on Saturday.

But just when victory seemed within reach, disaster struck. Corpus faltered with a costly double bogey on the par-4 16th, spoiling what could have been his second ADT triumph. His closing 68 at the par-70 layout left him in joint second place at 12-under 268, two shots behind Austrian Niklas Regner, who carded a gutsy 67 to claim the title.

Regner drained a clutch birdie on No. 14 and watched as Corpus, in a flight ahead of the championship group, wavered down the stretch. Thailand’s Tawit Polthai, who had shared the lead late in the round, bogeyed the 17th to also fall out of contention, handing the Austrian a two-shot cushion that held until the finish.

Corpus matched Regner’s 14-under mark after a stirring three-birdie blitz from No. 11, igniting hopes of a back-to-back ADT victory after his maiden win in Morocco last June. But nerves got the better of him on the 16th, where mishits led to a deflating double bogey. He parred his final two holes to close out his round in frustration.

It was a tough setback for the 23-year-old, who began the day four strokes off the pace. He battled gamely, producing two birdies against a lone bogey on the front nine before catching fire on the back. For much of the afternoon, it seemed the Filipino rookie was poised to complete another stirring comeback.

Regner, meanwhile, was steady when it mattered most. After his birdie on the 14th, he closed with four straight pars to secure victory with a 14-under 266 total.

Polthai also finished with a 70 while Poom Pattaropong shot a 69 to tie Corpus and Polthai at second.

For Corpus, it’s another lesson in the cruel side of golf – one that could serve him well as he looks ahead to the Red Sea Open starting November 4, also in Egypt.

His late stumble may have cost him the trophy, but his form and composure throughout the week confirmed that his ADT rise is no fluke.