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UBS HONG KONG OPEN | REVIEW

264th-time Lucky Ormsby Wins UBS Hong Kong Open

Australia's Wade Ormsby won his first European Tour title at the 264th attempt after a nerve-wracking finish to the UBS Hong Kong Open. The 37-yearold follows in the footsteps of fellow Aussie Sam Brazel as Rafa Cabrera Bello settles for second once again, writes Louie Chan.

Power Sport Images for UBS

Photography by Daniel Wong

After 13 years and 264 attempts, Wade Ormsby wins his first European Tour title 30

HK GOLFER・JAN 2018

HK GOLFER・JAN 2018

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O SSP Chawrasia, who led for the first three days, finished alongside Miguel Ángel Jiménez at tied seventh 32

HK GOLFER・JAN 2018

rmsby carded a final round of 68 at Fanling to finish 11 under par, a shot ahead of Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello, Sweden’s Alexander Bjork and the American pair of Julian Suri and Paul Peterson.

The tournament looked to be heading to a play-off when Ormsby three-putted the 18th to leave Cabrera Bello needing to par the same hole to force extra holes.

However, Cabrera Bello then found the greenside bunker with his approach and failed to get up and down, leaving world-number-319 Ormsby to claim the second win of his professional career.

“It’s been a great week again. I came from playing great last year, I finished second here. I felt that I give myself a really good chance coming in today again. I’ve been battling till the last hole. There’s not really much more that you can ask yourself as a player than to have a chance coming up the last. The coin just didn’t fall my side this time,” said Cabrera Bello.

Ormsby played his first season on the European Tour in 2004 after coming through the Qualifying School and he has done that four times since in a career that has also seen him struggle with injury at times.

A fifth-place finish at the Andalucia

Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation in last October ensured he eventually kept his card in comfortable fashion and he will now have an exemption until 2020 after winning at the 264th time of asking.

“It was a bit of a weird feeling watching Rafa with a short par putt on 18 to make it a playoff. You don’t want to win like that but I’m sure a lot of guys have. I just missed one there, too. I don’t know, it’s not the way you want to do it, but at the same time you take them how you can get them,” Ormsby further added, “This feels amazing. I’m trying to hold it together here but I’m pretty stoked. Well, not pretty stoked: Very stoked. I played solid all day, hit a lot of greens but the putter wasn’t quite behaving. You saw that at the last which was disappointing to three-putt but you have to take them when they come so I won’t be complaining too much.”

European number one Tommy Fleetwood finished alone in sixth after a closing 69 made up of 16 pars and a solitary birdie on the 17th, with four-time winner Miguel Ángel Jiménez a shot further back after a brilliant final-round 63.

India’s SSP Chawrasia, who led for the first three days and began the final round with a one-shot lead in pursuit of a wire-to-wire victory, was three ahead after eight holes, HKGOLFER.COM

finished alongside Jimenez after a triple bogey on the ninth and four bogeys in five holes on the back nine.

“I was playing well today. I start very good, and then made a triple bogey on nine and from then on, I kept dropping shots. But overall, I managed to make a comeback. I had a couple of putts missed, but that’s all right,” said Chawrasia.

Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia, the two main drawcards of the tournament, finished tied at 10th and 19th respectively.

After opening rounds of 72 and 70, Leon D’Souza became one of the very few Hong Kong amateur golfers to make the cut in the UBS Hong Kong Open in recent years. The homegrown amateur was five over par at one point in round two, but turned on the power over the back nine, with three birdies on 13th, 16th and 17th, narrowly made the cut.

The 19-year-old played well all week and claimed the top placed amateur trophy. D’Souza, an Open debutant, also set the Hong Kong player’s lowest scoring (even-par 280) record, since the tournament has been co-sanctioned

by European Tour and Asian Tour.

The Hong Kong Close Amateur Champion then hit a superb five-under 65 featuring seven birdies in round three, putting him at three under and shooting him up the Fanling leaderboard. “There’s no place like home to be playing. It’s great I’m played my best golf in front of all my family and friends,” said D’Souza about flying the flag for Hong Kong.

The local star got off to a shaky start in the final round, dropping four shots in the first four holes. But a brilliant birdie at the par-3 fifth hole helped D’Souza to settle down. He went on to make eleven consecutive pars, followed by a good birdie at the 17th.

The 19-year-old was given a hero’s welcome by the local crowd on the 18th green. He carded a final-round three-over 73 to finish at tied 41st.

“We’ve enjoyed four days of first class golf here at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

Congratulations to Wade on a well-deserved victory, and also to the Hong Kong amateur, Leon D’ Souza who has played well all week, not least his five-under par third round score. I am sure his performance will encourage more local young players to take up the game of golf. Last year, we welcomed over 46,000 spectators to the Hong Kong Golf Club, and I am sure this year we will break that record. We look forward to welcoming both players back to the Hong Kong Golf Club in 2018 for the 60th edition of the tournament”, said Arnold Wong, Captain of the Hong Kong Golf Club.

HKGOLFER.COM

Rafa Cabrera Bello found the greenside bunker with his approach and failed to get up and down on the final hole, leaving Ormsby to claim the title

Local star Leon D’Souza played well all week and claimed the top placed amateur trophy. He was caddied by Ducky Tang (left), who’s also his coach in the HKGA squad HK GOLFER・JAN 2018

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