HONG KONG, 8 December 2003 — Ireland’s Padraig Harrington clinched a nail-biting one-shot victory at the Hong Kong Open with two birdies in the last two holes yesterday.
The world No. 10 drew level with leader Hennie Otto of South Africa at the penultimate hole before snatching victory with a 20-foot putt at the last in the opening leg of the 2004 European Tour season.
“I got very aggressive at the 16th when I realized Otto was in front by one stroke. It was all or nothing at that stage,” said Harrington, who finished with a four-under-par 66 and an 11-under-par total of 269. He won $113,000.
Harrington became the first person to win successive opening events on the European Tour after winning the BMW Asian Open in Taiwan last year.
Harrington collected three birdies on the front nine to go 10 under but at the par four 10th hole he lost his ball in the woods after a wayward tee shot. Penalized one shot, he recovered well to limit the damage to a bogey.
Otto, meanwhile, made a late charge, birdieing three of the last four holes to nose ahead before Harrington’s remarkable finish. Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland, Thomas Bjorn of Denmark, Chris Gane of England and last year’s winner, Fredrik Jacobson of Sweden, were tied for third on 273.
One shot further behind in a tie for seventh was South Africa’s James Kingston, Hanell and Thai Prayad Marksaeng, the best-finishing Asian in this penultimate leg of the Asian PGA Tour.
Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain, a winner here in 2001, shot 66 to finish on a five-under 275 and tied for 10th. England’s Nick Faldo was in joint 15th.
China’s Zhang Lian-wei, in second place on the Asian PGA Tour Order of Merit race, ended on 280 after shooting 69 yesterday. He finished tied in 35th place.
Zhang trails India’s Arjun Atwal in Asia. The winner will be decided at this week’s Volvo Masters Asia in Bangkok and will earn an automatic berth for next year’s British Open.
Battling Allenby Wins Australian Masters Playoff
In Melbourne, overnight leader Robert Allenby defied illness to win his first Australian Masters in a four-way playoff yesterday before setting his sights on clinching a major championship.
Australian Allenby, who had oozed confidence in the final stages of the tournament, was taken to the second playoff hole by compatriot Adam Scott before he sealed victory by holing a birdie putt from three feet.
Allenby, 32, who was playing in his home city and had battled influenza and stomach cramps all week, maintained his perfect record of eight wins in eight playoffs.
Scott, 23, made a brave bid for the title but his 50-foot birdie putt stopped on the edge of the cup at the second extra hole, the par-four 18th. Allenby had sunk a 10-foot par putt at the 72nd hole to join a four-way playoff with Scott, triple Australian Masters winner Craig Parry and joint Australian PGA champion Jarrod Moseley.
Scott, a winner on the European and US PGA Tours this year, had put together the round of the tournament with an eight-under-par 64 yesterday. Moseley finished with a 69 and Parry 67.
Allenby and Scott then both birdied the first playoff hole where Parry and Moseley dropped out of contention.
Scott, who also lost last year’s Australian Masters to Peter Lonard in a playoff, challenged Allenby by reaching the green from a fairway bunker with his approach shot. His tee shot had hit a spectator on the knee and rebounded into the bunker.
