2007 UBS Hong Kong Open - Round 4: Jimenez clinches thrilling victory

Spanish sensation Miguel Angel Jimenez held on at the final hole to overcome Sweden’s Robert Karlsson for his second UBS Hong Kong Open title on Sunday.

Jimenez, who had previously won the event back in 2004, held on to bogey the final 18th hole for the win as overnight leader Karlsson double bogeyed the 18th hole to finish in joint second place at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

Jimenez, 43, blasted a three-under-par 67 in the final round and walked away with the top prize of US$375,000 at the co-sanctioned Asian Tour and European Tour event.

Karlsson, who claimed the runner-up spot in Portugal last month, produced a 72 and finished alongside Korean stalwart Choi Kyung-ju who posted a strong 67. Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, a two-time Asian number one, enjoyed a steady end to his campaign also in tied second place after his best round of 65.

“It’s very nice to win again here, it's great. I’ve been playing very well throughout the week, and, well, very pleased, happy indeed. The only down part is I feel, I have to say for Robert, the way it finished as he played so good the whole week. He had a double at the last, and it's not the best way to finish as I know he wanted to win,” said the champion.

Jimenez trailed Karlsson by four strokes heading into the final round but he kept his game going with an even-par run on the front nine. The Spaniard pilled on the pressure on the way home with two birdies and an eagle at the par five 13th hole before three putting the last hole for the bogey.

“On the 18th hole, I hit my first putt and thought it was going to be very fast, downgrain, downhill and I left it too short, the same distance that he had his putt for bogey. And then I putted first and I missed that one, and he missed his one and that's it.

“But overall I really like the golf course. I also enjoy the heat. I am like a fish in the water when it's hot; I like it very much. I feel comfortable playing here. I like the people here too so it’s been a great experience for me,” added Jimenez.

Karlsson had a four stroke cushion coming into the final round and kept it steady with three birdies against an equal number of bogeys after 15 holes. But a misjudged chip from the bunker on the 18th hole forced the ball into the rough as he two putted for a double bogey.

“The 18th hole, we were right in between clubs and wanted to hit it really close. Missed it a little bit and I got a really bad lie in the rough down there. But I would never expect Miguel to three putt. Miguel hit a lot of good putts.

“I did what I could but I don't know what I could have done differently. A couple decisions at the end of the day cost me a couple of shots but when you're out there, I don't think I would have like to do any different decisions. End of the day, he beat me fair and square,” said Karlsson.

Thailand’s Thongchai was pleased with his week after a solid run on the back nine in the final round when he sunk six birdies out of the last seven holes.

“It was really windy today. The wind changed direction and was very tough, not very easy. I tried to hit the ball on the fairway and get on the greens and make the putts. I putted very well on the back nine and that was a great finish for me. I am happy,” said Thongchai.

Korea’s Choi was equally impressive firing a 67 that included an eagle at the par five 13th hole.

“I kept it going today but it was very tough with the strong wind out there. But the atmosphere here is great at the UBS Hong Kong Open, it's fantastic and the last round, unbelievable,” said Choi, who won two titles on the US PGA Tour this year.

China’s top golfer Liang Wen-chong, who leads the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit race, ended his round with an even-par performance as he was satisfied with his tied 15th place finish.

“”I was nervous in Singapore but this week I was quite relaxed which paid off as I am very pleased with my finish. My putting was not really consistent but I’ve held my game and I am happy with the result after four rounds,” said Liang, who took home US$30,420 for a total earning of US$525,570.

Leading final round scores (click here for full leaderboard):

265 - Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP) 65-67-66-67
266 - Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 66-67-68-65, K J Choi (KOR) 62-72-65-67, Robert Karlsson (SWE) 64-64-66-72
267 - Peter Hanson (SWE) 68-66-65-68
269 - Graeme Mcdowell (NIR) 67-66-68-68
270 - Trevor Immelman (RSA) 71-62-70-67, Jarmo Sandelin (SWE) 69-64-68-69, Gary Simpson (AUS) 69-67-65-69, Daniel Chopra (SWE) 66-68-66-70, Marcus Fraser (AUS) 67-68-64-71
271 - Mike Weir (CAN) 69-64-67-71, Scott Strange (AUS) 66-68-66-71, Shiv Kapur (IND) 67-67-65-72
272 - Robert-Jan Derksen (NLD) 72-67-68-65, Garry Houston (WAL) 63-71-71-67, Simon Dyson (ENG) 68-65-70-69, Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 69-68-66-69, Liang Wen-Chong (CHN) 68-66-68-70

November 18, 2007

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