Honk kong, November 15:Unheralded Frenchman Gregory Bourdy survived Rory McIlroy’s back-nine charge to win the UBS Hong Kong Open by two shots from the Northern
Irishman on Sunday afternoon.
Bourdy completed the tournament at 19-under-par 261, two shots better than McIlroy, who finished runner-up for the second straight year but had the consolation of going to the top of the European Tour’s money list.
McIlroy’s second-place finish was enough to move him to the summit of the Order of Merit with just one tournament — next week’s Dubai World Championship — remaining in the season.
A cheque for 186,190.39 euros took him ahead of previous leader Lee Westwood, who ended the tournament with a disappointing four-over-par round on the final day to take him to one-under for the week.
Bourdy, who never relinquished the lead throughout the final round, proved to be unflappable despite the rising pressure exerted by the 20-year-old McIlroy over the closing holes of the tournament.
It was the Frenchman’s third European Tour title of his career.
He played consistently to maintain the lead he had at the start of the day, moving to 18-under thanks to birdies at the fifth and sixth.
A birdie at the 10th returned the Frenchman to 18-under after he had dropped a shot at the eighth and he improved his score by an additional shot with a birdie at the par-five 13th.
The tournament swung once and for all in Bourdy’s favour at the 17th, however, when McIlroy’s charge finally came to an end.
After rattling a birdie attempt more than three feet past the hole, the Ulsterman missed the return putt for par, forcing him to settle for second once again around Fanling as Bourdy closed out in impressive fashion with a 67.
—Agencies