Volvo China Open: Zhang Jin shouts ‘I did it, Dad’ after pipping Li Haotong for his first title on the main local tour
- Li Haotong was on course for victory but threw away a two-stroke lead in the final round at Genzon Golf Club
- Hong Kong’s Jason Hak missed out on a place in the DP World Tour after finishing second in the Order of Merit
Beijing-based Zhang Jin was gifted victory in the Volvo China Open on Sunday after former champion Li Haotong threw away a two-shot lead halfway through the back nine.
Li was hoping to become the first player to win the China Open for the second time and, after 12 holes he looked to be heading for a comfortable victory having opened up with two straight birdies and bagged two more by the turn to go out in four-under 32.
Li was two shots clear standing on the 13th tee at Genzon Golf Club but carved his drive into the penalty area to drop his first shot of the day. He then inexplicably duffed a chip shot from the edge of the 15th green to drop a further shot and to go back into the joint lead with Zhang on seven under par.
Zhang could only manage a lacklustre level-par front nine and, despite having makeable birdie chances on almost every hole on the back nine, failed to convert.
In a dream ending to the tournament the 26-year-old Zhang drove the green on the 311-yard closing hole and lagged his 60-foot eagle putt to just a few inches for a tap-in birdie that saw him finish on eight-under, one-shot ahead of a clearly disconsolate Li.
Zhang was so elated that he threw his arms into the air after holing the winning putt, and screamed: “I did it, Dad, I did it” into a nearby TV camera. “I’m so happy to hoist this heavy trophy,” said Zhang. “Lady Luck was clearly on my side today. I wanted to tell my father watching TV that I did it. That today I finally won.”
