HONG KONG: England’s Aaron Rai held off a determined charge from compatriot Matthew Fitzpatrick to narrowly win the Hong Kong Open golf by one stroke Sunday, claiming his first European Tour victory at a rain-sodden Fanling.
Having begun the final day six strokes clear, Rai carded 69 at the par-70 course — his worst round of the tournament — but Fitzpatrick’s 64 was not quite enough to chase down the 23-year-old. World number nine Tommy Fleetwood had also started the day six strokes adrift of Rai, with each player in the all-English top three chasing a first win at Fanling.
In rain, Fleetwood dropped away after bogeying the eighth and double bogeying the ninth, going on to card a three-over-par 73 and finish tied for 14th. When Rai missed a simple putt to bogey the eighth and Fitzpatrick walked away with a birdie from the same hole, it looked as if Rai would succumb to the pressure from his more experienced rival.
