Bayron misses title despite 64

MANILA, Philippines - Jay Bayron rallied with a tournament-best eight under 64 but fell short of his title bid, losing by one to Thailand’s Udorn Duangdecha in the final round of the Pattaya Open of the Mercedes Benz Tour at the Burapha Golf Club in Thailand yesterday.

Bayron, who cracked in the final round of the M-Benz Tour’s kickoff leg at the Manila Southwoods last month after leading the first three rounds, rammed in eight birdies in a bogey-free 33-31 round, including three straight from No. 14 that put him back in contention.

But Duangdecha hung tough with a clutch birdie on No. 16 then parred the next two holes to preserve his one-shot lead for the victory. He finished with a 68 for a winning 16-under 272.

Bayron settled for runner-up honors for the second straight time, pooling a 273 aggregate in a tie with Korean Baek Seuk-hyun, who had a 66.