SHANGHAI, 17 May 2004 — Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez won his third European Tour title of the year when he swept to victory in the Asian Open by three strokes yesterday.
The 40-year-old’s final round five-under-par 67 for a 14 under par total of 274 put him ahead of overnight leader Simon Dyson of Britain.
“I just kept concentrating and tried to be very aggressive,” said the Spaniard.
An eagle at the 568-yard par-five 13th, courtesy of a superb chip-in 20 yards short of the green, catapulted Jimenez into a joint lead with Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng.
However, the Thai bogeyed four of the last six holes leaving the way clear for Jimenez.
A birdie at the last hole sealed his victory after a magnificent approach to the green. The win earned him over $250,000 in prize money.
Jimenez is enjoying a great run of form, having won four European Tour events since last October, and his Ryder Cup place looks set in stone for the matches in September.
Britain’s Dyson had led the field from the first round and started the day with a six-shot lead.
Korea’s KJ Choi came fourth after a final round of 68 gave him nine under par for the tournament.
Garcia Grabs Lead at Byron Nelson
In Irving, Texas, Sergio Garcia was flawless from tee to green as he opened a two-stroke lead after Saturday’s third round at the $5.8 million Byron Nelson Championship.
The Spaniard hit all 18 greens in regulation on his way to a five-under-par 65 in pleasant conditions at the Four Seasons TPC.
American Jerry Kelly is at 201 after a 67, while halfway leader Tiger Woods again struggled off the tee, carding a 70 to fall into a tie for third with South African Deane Pappas (66), three shots behind.
Garcia’s boast was warranted. He had 10 birdie chances from inside 12 feet, and although he made half of them, he was disappointed to fritter away the others.
Garcia, 24, has won three times on the PGA Tour but not since 2002. He has been working on swing changes, which have started to jell only over the past eight months.
First things first, however, as 18 players are within five shots of Garcia. And the Spaniard has been known to stumble. In November, he had a three-shot lead going into the final round of the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan, only to collapse with a closing 78.
Garcia won an unofficial huge money event in South Africa the following week but needs an official victory to signal he is really back.
More than a dozen players were on the leaderboard at one time or another. When the dust had settled, Kelly was closest.
Garcia and Kelly were paired for the final round for the second time in barely a month. They played together at the Masters, where Garcia shot a sizzling 66 to tie for fourth.
Woods bogeyed two of the first five holes to surrender his lead. He hit several shockingly poor drives but demonstrated his renowned recovery skills time and again.
A slight breeze sprung in the afternoon and prevented the late starters from going really low on a day when the average score was 69.1. Luke Donald took advantage of his early tee time to shoot 64 — the day’s best score - and is among a group of six at 203 that includes red-hot Vijay Singh (68).
Mexico’s Ochoa Edges Ahead of Hurst, Kim
In Franklin, Tennessee, for the second straight week, Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa is on the verge of a breakthrough win.
Ochoa fired a five-under-par 67 and holds a one-shot lead over Pat Hurst and hard-charging Mi Hyun Kim after Saturday’s third round of the$900,000 LPGA Franklin Championship.
Ochoa, 21, finished second last week at Kingsmill, her third career runner-up finish. She had a record-setting amateur career before winning LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors in 2003.
One look at Ochoa’s numbers shows she is ready to win. Only Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam is better in greens in regulation, and she is tied for fourth in putting and 10th in driving distance.
Ochoa’s second straight 67 on the Vanderbilt Legends Club Iron Horse Course moved her to 12-under 204, just in front of Hurst and Kim.
Hurst, who notched the last of her three career wins at this course four years ago, carded a 68. The US veteran is the only player with three rounds in the 60s but nevertheless surrendered the lead she shared with Ochoa after play was halted Friday.
Kim tied the course record with a bogey-free eight-under 64. The petite South Korean birdied four of the first five holes and three of the last five.
