Nov 25, 2018: Aaron Rai claimed his maiden European Tour title after holding off fellow Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick to secure a one-shot victory at the Honma Hong Kong Open presented by Amundi. India’s Shubhankar Sharma carded three-under-par 67 in the final round to finish at T6.
Sharma shot four birdies and a lone bogey to tie for sixth place along with Sergio Garcia and Rafa Cabrera Bello, the latter shooting a blemish-free 63, Sunday’s best score.
The 23 year old never actually surrendered the lead on Sunday but saw his six-shot overnight advantage cut to a single stroke by Fitzpatrick during a thrilling final-round battle in the pouring rain at Hong Kong Golf Club.
Five-time European Tour winner Fitzpatrick had fired seven birdies in his first 16 holes to pile the pressure on Rai but his challenge faltered when he carded his first bogey of the day at the 17th to give his compatriot a two-shot cushion with one hole remaining.
And despite carding a bogey at the last, Rai signed for a closing 69 to finish on 17 under par and open the 2019 Race to Dubai campaign with a stunning wire-to-wire victory in just his 46th European Tour appearance.
Fitzpatrick’s sensational 64 saw him finish alone in second on 16 under, with Challenge Tour graduate Victor Perez and Australian Jason Scrivener five shots further back in a tie for third.
Three-time Challenge Tour winner Rai began his final round on 16 under par after producing rounds of 65, 61 and 68 in his previous three rounds.
And he soon set about improving on that total, tapping in for a birdie at the long third before repeating the trick from six feet at the next to jump to 18 under.
But bogeys at the sixth and eighth stalled Rai’s progress and allowed Fitzpatrick to close the gap to two shots courtesy of four birdies in his first ten holes.
Rai rallied, rattling in his 15-foot birdie putt at the 12th before repeating the trick at the long 13th from around three feet to jump to 18 under.
Fitzpatrick was hot on his heels, though, picking up shots at the 13th and 14th before draining his 20-foot putt at the 16th to narrow the gap to one.
The first bogey of his final round saw Fitzpatrick lose ground at the 17th and Rai was able to wrap up a one-shot victory after three-putting at the 18th.
European Tour Release
