Aaron Rai held off a hard-charging Matthew Fitzpatrick yesterday to claim the Hong Kong Open by a solitary shot and secure his first ever European Tour win in pouring rain at Fanling Golf Course.
The Englishman needed all of his six-shot overnight lead to edge out compatriot Fitzpatrick as the 23-year-old’s 17-under par total, courtesy of a one-under-par final round, secured him victory in the first event on this season’s European Tour calendar.
“It felt a little bit different today,” Rai told reporters of the European Tour breakthrough on his second appearance at Fanling. “You have to repeat the same messages as you go along the way, consolidate and stay patient and really just focus on your own game.”
Photo: AFP
Fitzpatrick put Rai under pressure throughout the final day’s play as he emerged from the chasing pack to hit a six-under-par 64 to finish five shots clear of the pair in third place, Jason Scrivener of Australia and Victor Perez of France.
Yesterday’s charge saw Fitzpatrick move to within a shot of the lead with two holes remaining before a bogey at the 17th, when he missed a four-foot par putt, effectively ended his title bid as Rai took a two-shot lead down the last fairway.
That cushion meant a bogey on the final hole was good enough for Rai to secure the US$333,330 first prize with a victory on the main European circuit after three triumphs on the Challenger Tour.
WORLD CUP OF GOLF
Reuters, MELBOURNE, Australia
Thomas Pieters and Thomas Detry won the US$7 million World Cup of Golf by three strokes in Melbourne yesterday to secure Belgium’s first title in the team event after surviving a late wobble and a charge from hosts Australia.
Overnight leaders by five strokes, the former University of Illinois college mates bogeyed the 15th to see their lead shrink to two shots during the final foursomes at Metropolitan Golf Club.
However, they held their nerve over the closing holes and finished with a birdie on the 18th to claim their biggest tournament win at the 28-nation cosanctioned event.
“Yeah, we weren’t far away in the soccer World Cup, so it’s good to bring it back,” 25-year-old Detry told reporters, a Belgium flag draped around his neck after hoisting the whopping winner’s trophy with Pieters. “You play with your best mate and it’s kind of a dream come true. There’s nothing like representing your country on the other side of the world — it’s just amazing.”
Detry celebrated his first big victory, having never won on the world’s leading circuits, while Pieters claimed his first US Tour title after three wins in Europe.
The pair split the winning team’s US$2.24 million check and add their names to a trophy won by Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods.
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