Wu Ashun became the first Chinese player to win a European Tour title on home soil when he beat David Howell by one stroke to capture the Volvo China Open yesterday.
The 29-year-old Wu, who plays primarily on the Japan Tour, was the steadiest player during the final round, making two birdies to just one bogey to card a 71 and finish at nine-under 279 overall.
Howell missed a five-foot par putt on the 18th that would have forced a playoff. It was just one of four bogeys for the Englishman, who also had four birdies in his round of 72.
Emiliano Grillo made a spirited run on the final day, making four birdies in five holes on the front nine and another two on the back to pull within one shot. However, his chance of winning a maiden European Tour title slipped away with a tee shot into the water on the 17th hole, leading to double bogey.
He shot a 69 to finish in a tie for third with defending champion Alexander Levy of France (73) and Prom Meesawat of Thailand (71).
Wu started the final round in a four-way tie for the lead with Howell, Levy and his countryman, Li Haotong, but most attention was on the 19-year-old Li, touted as a future golf star in China.
However, Li did not look sharp from the first hole. With hundreds of excited fans lining the green, phones poised to snap photographs, the Chinese player missed a routine four-foot par putt that caught the lip of the cup and curled away, drawing gasps from the gallery.
It was just the start of an up-and-down day for the rising star. He made a 50-foot birdie putt on the eighth hole and then a tremendous approach and nervy putt for eagle on the par-five 13th, but also missed a number of relatively easy putts from close in, the frustration apparent on his face.
He carded five bogeys yesterday — more than his first three rounds combined — and finished tied for sixth at six-under 282.
Meanwhile, Wu played a very composed round, only showing a bit of emotion when he twice missed birdie putts.
Howell had vastly more experience than the Chinese players — the 39-year-old Englishman had 523 starts on the European Tour, compared with just 26 for Wu and 13 for Li. Ten years ago in Shanghai, he also battled then-No. 1 Tiger Woods in the final round of the HSBC Champions — and won the title.
However, Howell missed when it mattered most, trying to save par on the 18th and force a playoff. When his shot skirted by the left of the hole, hundreds of Chinese fans around the Tomson Golf Club erupted in cheers for Wu.
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS