It was a fourth consecutive round in the 60s on Sunday for JC Ritchie as his closing five-under-par 65 took him to 11-under-par and a share of 17th in the DP World Tour’s Austrian Alpine Open at Golfclub Kitzbühel-Schwarzsee-Reith in Kitzbühel.

He started the final round on the 10th, and he turned in five-under 29 after birdies on the 10th, 12th, 14th, 15th and 17th. He got it to seven-under with two more birdies on one and three after the turn, but he dropped two in a row on the seventh and eighth before closing with a par.

At 11-under, he was seven behind the winner, Japan’s Kota Kaneko. Kaneko closed with a three-under 67 to go with his three successive 65s to beat Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia and American Davis Bryant by two strokes.

In a quiet but solid week for the South Africans on the tour, MJ Daffue finished in a share of 36th on nine-under, with Hennie du Plessis and Yurav Premlall in 40th on eight-under. Richard Sterne was a shot further back on seven-under in a share of 47th with Brandon Stone.

Robin Williams, Thriston Lawrence, Casey Jarvis and Michael Hollick missed the cut, as did Dylan Frittelli, Zander Lombard, Jonathan Broomhead and Dylan Naidoo.