Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez became the oldest winner in European Tour history with victory at the Hong Kong Open on Sunday. Jimenez, 48, shot a five-under-par final round of 65 to reach 15 under on the leaderboard at the Hong Kong Golf Club. It was good enough for a one-stroke victory over Swede Fredrik Andersson Hed, who produced a closing 64 to claim outright second at 14 under. Australian Marcus Fraser matched Andersson Hed&aposs six-under final round to take third place at 12 under. Italian youngster Matteo Manassero shared fourth with Ireland&aposs Peter Lawrie and Stephen Gallacher at 11 under, while American Matt Kuchar was alone in seventh spot at nine under for the competition. New Zealand&aposs Michael Campbell had shared the lead with Jimenez going into the final round, but a two-over 72 forced him to settle for tied eighth alongside Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal. Consistency was the watchword for Jimenez, who holed five birdies, including four in succession between seven and 10, as well as 13 pars to close out the win in comfortable fashion. Remarkably, he made just two bogeys in 72 holes, and none since the opening round, with a third Hong Kong Open title just reward for such an accomplished performance. Jimenez&aposs other Hong Kong triumphs in 2004 and 2007. The previous oldest winner on the European Tour was Des Smyth, who was six months younger when he bagged the 2001 Madeira Islands Open.
Author: Omnisport