Wu Ashun wins Volvo China Open

Wu Ashun beat David Howell by a stroke to win the Volvo China Open

Wu Ashun wins Volvo China Open
Wu Ashun wins Volvo China Open
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Wu Ashun became the first Chinese player to win a European Tour event on home soild as he captured the Volvo China Open by a single stroke from England’s David Howell.

Wu Ashun became the first Chinese player to win a European Tour event on home soil as he captured the Volvo China Open by a single stroke from England’s David Howell.

Wu and Howell began the final day in a tie for the lead with defending champion Alexander Levy of France and another Chinese star, Li Hao-tong.

Howell was quickest out of the blocks with a birdie on the 2nd. But the Englishman stumbled and Wu went ahead when he holed for birdie from 15 feet on the fifth.

The pair traded the lead around the turn and the contest was extremely tight as the players came down the stretch. Wu was first to finish and he posted a clubhouse total of 9-under-par.

Howell holed a great putt to save par on the 17th and remain 9-under himself. He needed a par at the last to force a playoff, but after missing both the fairway and green, he then failed to get up-and-down. The resulting bogey meant he lost out by a shot.

“It’s obviously tough to take,” he said. “I was in very good shape to win the tournament for most of the day, and didn’t get the job done. So it’s going to hurt for a while, but I didn’t do a lot wrong.”

29-year-old Wu, who plays most of his golf on the Japan Golf Tour, took the title plus a cheque for almost €500,000.

“It’s very special winning the China Open and it’s very exciting,” he said. “I have many friends here, and they helped me a lot and pushed me to play well.”

54-hole co-leaders Alex Levy and Li Hao-tong struggled on the final day and rounds of 73 and 74 saw them drop down the board into a tie for third place and solo sixth respectively.

Scotland’s Richie Ramsay had been two back going into the final day, but a front nine of 39 on Sunday cost him a chance of securing a second victory this season. He bounced back well with a 34 coming in, but the damage was done and he ended the event alone in seventh place.

Volvo China Open Tomson Shanghai Pudong GC, Shanghai, China Apr 23-26, purse: €3,000,000, par: 72

1    Wu Ashun (Chn)        73    66    69    71    279    €498,095 2    David Howell (Eng)    68    72    68    72    280    €332,063 T3    Emiliano Grillo (Arg)    73    70    69    69    281    €154,411 T3    Alexander Levy (Fra)    69    68    71    73    281    €154,411 T3    Prom Meesawat (Tha)    72    70    68    71    281    €154,411 6    Hao-tong Li (Chn)    71    68    69    74    282    €104,601 7    Richie Ramsay (Sco)    72    68    70    73    283    €89,658 T8    Byeong Hun An (Kor)    72    68    76    68    284    €59,324 T8    Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 73    72    65    74    284    €59,324 T8    Tyrrell Hatton (Eng)    75    69    69    71    284    €59,324 T8    Julien Quesne (Fra)    69    67    76    72    284    €59,324 T8    Peter Uihlein (USA)    70    67    76    71    284    €59,324 T8    Romain Wattel (Fra)    72    67    74    71    284    €59,324

Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage

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?