She wasn’t able to reproduce her heroics of the second round, but Casandra Alexander still managed to finish in a share of eighth on Saturday after the final round of the Ladies European Tour’s Aramco China Championship at Mission Hills in Shenzhen, China.

Alexander made six birdies as she tried to get close to her brilliant 10-under-par in the second round of the 54-hole tournament, and her five-under-par 68 after a dropped shot on the 10th hole left her on 11-under for the tournament.

That put her five strokes behind the winner, local player Ruixin Liu. The 26-year-old teed it up in the final group of the day and started one shot behind overnight leader Trichat Cheenglab of Thailand.

Liu made her first birdie on the sixth hole before adding another on the 11th to put her into the lead on the World Cup Course. An eagle on 16 put her two shots ahead and she finished in style with a birdie at the last for her round of 68 to seal her maiden Ladies European Tour title.

“I wasn’t very nervous today at all, I was just trying to play my golf because it’s very hot today,” she said. “I tried to be patient and do my thing. On 16 today I thought about hitting a three-hybrid instead of my driver and my caddie said we have got to hit driver and have revenge on this hole so I’m glad I listened to him.

“It’s so sweet, to have friends come over and watch me and to have my dad on the bag as well. The crowd is amazing so thank you.”

The victory was even sweeter for Liu who lives on site at Mission Hills China and it was the first time she has played in a professional event in Shenzhen since turning professional in 2017.

Alexander’s finish kept her in third place on the Order of Merit ahead of the final tournament of the season, the Andalucia Costa Del Sol Open de Espana on November 27.