JGTO Abroad: Hoshino misses out on top-10 finish, settles for T12 in Bahrain

Rikuya Hoshino put up a spirited performance but narrowly missed out on a top-10 finish at the Bahrain Championship on Sunday.

The 27-year-old, who started the final day at Royal Golf Club tied for 26th, carded a 69 to conclude the week in joint 12th place with a six-under 282 total.

After making the turn at 36 with a birdie and a bogey, Hoshino picked up three more shots on the back nine, including a chip-in birdie on the par-four 17th. However, he finished just one shot shy of the top 10.

The tournament was won by South Africa's Dylan Frittelli, who held onto his overnight lead, securing victory by two shots over Sweden's Jesper Svensson and countryman Zander Lombard, despite mustering a 71.

Frittelli's 13-under aggregate earned him his first DP World Tour title in six years.

This solid outing will undoubtedly fuel Hoshino's desire to continue pursuing his first title, especially after coming close twice late last year with two runner-up finishes at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship and ISPS HANDA Australian Open.

Hoshino is set to tee off next at the Qatar Masters, beginning on Thursday, where he will be joined by compatriots Keita Nakajima and Masahiro Kawamura, who missed the cut this week.