The 22-year-old US Open winner from Northern Ireland, three strokes behind Alvaro Quiros entering the final round at Hong Kong Country Club, finished at 12-under 268 on the Fanling Course. He had five birdies in his bogey-free round.

“It is very special to win this. No matter how prestigious tournaments are, this is one of my favorites and I’m really happy to win it,” he said. “To be able to win a golf tournament when you are not at your best is something. Tiger Woods did this all the time. This is a great win, to come from behind and to be able to draw level and then close it out.”

France’s Gregory Havret also closed with a 65 to finish second.

Sweden’s Peter Hanson had a 70 to finish third at 9 under. England’s Ian Poulter, the 2010 winner, shot a 66 to tie for fourth at 8 under with Scotland’s Richie Ramsay (66) and Thailand’s Pariya Junhasavasdikul (70).

“It’s disappointing obviously. I came to defend and I’ve come up shy. I thought I had a chance when I got to 9 under, but I just flushed it on the 15th. It was a costly bogey at the wrong time,” Poulter said.

Quiros, from Spain, had a 73 to tie for seventh at 7 under.

John Daly closed with a 69 to tie for 21st at 2 under in the tournament sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.
 

Meantime, Juvic Pagunsan became the first golfer from the Philippines to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit title after his 10th place finish at the Hong Kong Open on Sunday.

Pagunsan carded a final round of two-under-par 68 at the Hong Kong Golf Club and added $55,000 to his season’s haul of $788,298 to give himself an unassailable lead with just the Thailand Golf Championship left to be played on the tour.

The 33-year old, languishing at 64th in the Asian Tour rankings at the beginning of November, climbed sharply after his tied ninth finish at the Taiwan Masters and runner-up showing at the Singapore Open.

As the number one in Asia, Pagunsan will now be exempt into the British Open and WGC-Cadillac Championship in 2012.

“It sounds really good,” Pagunsan, known for his smooth swing, said after learning that he had done enough to win his first Merit title. “I accept that it’s one of the biggest achievements in my entire life. I’m really surprised.

“Everyone dreams of winning the Order of Merit. I wasn’t expecting that this year. My ranking before the Singapore Open was dangerous and suddenly I just jumped to number one.”

He will be officially crowned as the new number one, replacing Korea’s Noh Seung-yul, at the season-ending $1 million Thailand Golf Championship at the Amata Spring Country Club from Dec 15-18.

“It was big pressure as anyone from second to the 10th place on the rankings still had a chance to catch up,” Pagunsan said. “It was hard but I focused hard.”
 

In Christchurch,  New Zealand, Brad Kennedy won the New Zealand Open on Sunday, holing a 30-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff with Australian compatriot Craig Parry to complete a wire-to-wire victory.

Kennedy closed with a 2-over 74 to match Parry at 7-under 281 at Clearwater Golf Club. Parry took a two-stroke lead to the final hole, but drove into the water and finished with a double bogey for a 69.

“To make a birdie when it counted, that’s why we play golf,” Kennedy said. “To win a New Zealand Open, with all the names that are on the trophy, it’s one of the oldest Opens, is pretty special to me.” On the 18th in regulation, Parry hit his tee shot into the water to the left of the fairway, then hit into long rough before making a good recovery to reach the green. He missed a bogey putt that would have left him with a one-stroke lead.

Parry again found trouble off the tee on the 18th hole in the playoff, hitting into a bunker. He was facing a 5-foot par putt when Kennedy holed his birdie try.