Wu secures landmark China Open victory
Print Edition
WU Ashun became the first Chinese golfer to win a European Tour title on home soil by claiming his national open by one shot yesterday after Englishman David Howell faltered on the last.
Howell needed a birdie on the par-5 18th for victory but sent his first putt from off the green seven feet past the hole and his par attempt missed tamely on the low side to hand Wu the Volvo China Open title in front of a delighted gallery at the Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club.
Wu, 29, twice a winner on the Japan Golf Tour, joined Liang Wenchong and Zhang Lianwei as Chinese winners of European Tour events after the duo claimed previous editions of the Singapore Masters.
“Its a wonderful day today. Everyone knows how tough it was,” Wu said after finishing the tournament on 9-under. “I played very good today. It’s very special for a Chinese winner of the China Open. Very exciting.”
The duo had started the day in a four-way tie for the lead with China’s Li Haotong and Alexander Levy of France but Wu’s round of 1-under 71 on the tricky course was enough for victory at the 20-million yuan (US$3.23 million) event.
Howell, playing in the final group, had led for much of the final round but a bogey-5 on 14 dropped him in a tie with Wu before his disappointing final hole, where a wayward second from the fairway made his approach to the green much tougher.
Defending champion Levy (71) began his round with a bogey and a double-bogey-5 at the eighth left him with too much to claw back and he settled for a share of third on 7 under.
Talented teenager Li (74) finished in a share of sixth after struggling on the final day at his home event, one of four tournaments China will host on the European Tour this year.
Argentine Emiliano Grillo looked set to post the clubhouse target after racking six birdies in his round to take him to 9-under but a costly double-bogey-5 at the penultimate hole left him in a share of third after a 69.
In Jakarta, England’s Lee Westwood made it an Indonesian Masters hat-trick by winning the Asian Tour title yesterday but only after surviving a playoff with Thai Chapchai Nirat after blowing a five-shot lead.
The former world No. 1, winner of the event on his two previous appearances in 2011 and 2012, could only muster a final round of 1-over 73 and a 7-under total of 281 after letting slip the healthy overnight lead.
He had the opportunity to register victory on the par-5 18th only to fail with a birdie effort, meaning a playoff with Chapchai, who produced a sparkling 66. The Briton made no mistake on the 18th in the playoff, however, notching a birdie on the first extra hole to edge out the four-time Asian Tour winner.
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