Rory McIlroy wins UBS Hong Kong Open

Rory McIlroy produced a superb final round of 65 to win the UBS Hong Kong Open in Fanling and keep his hopes of clinching the 2011 Race to Dubai alive.

Rory McIlroy
Fergus Bisset
By Fergus Bisset
published

Rory McIlroy produced a superb final round of 65 to win the UBS Hong Kong Open in Fanling and keep his hopes of clinching the 2011 Race to Dubai alive.

McIlroy started the day three shots behind Alvaro Quiros of Spain but while Quiros stumbled to the turn in 39, McIlroy's progress was serene as he went out in 33. Three more birdies on the run for home, including a holed bunker shot on the 18th, gave the youngster from Northern Ireland a third European Tour title.

McIlroy now heads to the Dubai World Championship with a chance to overtake Luke Donald at the top of the money list. If McIlroy can chalk up a second straight victory, and Donald fails to finish inside the top nine, the 22-year-old will claim this year's Race to Dubai.

"I've had to wait a couple of years to get there but to get this trophy in my hands is very special," said McIlroy. "It meant a lot knowing that I had to go out there and play well to keep myself alive in The Race to Dubai, probably to keep second place in the World Rankings. To produce the sort of golf I did today was very pleasing."

As Quiros fell away with a disappointing final round of 73, it was Gregory Havret of France who emerged as McIlroy's closest challenger. He too closed with an excellent 65 that featured a back nine of 31.

Defending champion Ian Poulter finished strongly with a four-under-par 66. That put him in a tie for fourth with Scotland's Richie Ramsay and Pariya Junhasavasdikul of Thailand.

UBS Hong Kong Open Hong Kong GC, Fanling, Hong Kong Dec 1-4, purse €2,060,000, par 70

1   Rory McIlroy (NIR)   64   69   70   65   268   €341,724 2   Gregory Havret (Fra)   70   69   66   65   270   €227,813 3   Peter Hanson (Swe)   68   68   65   70   271   €128,352 T4   Pariya Junhasavasdikul (Tha) 70 65  67   70   272   €87,072 T4   Ian Poulter (Eng)      71   68   67   66   272   €87,072 T4   Richie Ramsay (Sco)   68   66   72   66   272   €87,072 T7   Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Tha) 68 69   70   66   273   €52,899 T7   Alvaro Quiros (Esp)   64   69   67   73   273   €52,899 T7   Y.E Yang (Kor)      68   69   65   71   273   €52,899 10   Juvic Pagunsan (Phi)   68   70   68   68   274   €41,007

Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage

Fergus Bisset
Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly. 

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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