Haotong Li is local hero as he wins China Open

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Haotong Li delighted the home fans at Topwin Golf and Country Club as he fired a closing bogey-free 64 for 22-under-par aggregate of 266 to become the second consecutive Chinese winner of the Volvo China Open.
The 20-year-old began the day two shots behind Felipe Aguilar and Lucas Bjerregaard but with a large home gallery cheering on his every shot, he reeled in the Chilean and held a share of the lead as he stood on the 17th tee.
Li birdied the penultimate hole to get 22 under and when Aguilar - playing in the group behind - put his tee-shot on the 16th into the water, a par up the last was enough to give Li a three-shot victory and a first European Tour title.
The win makes China the first country to have players win the event in successive years after Wu Ashun's triumph last campaign and also gives the world's most populous nation a record fourth victory, one more than Australia and England.
For Li, it is a breakthrough win for a player who lost out in a play-off at the Shenzhen International last year and followed that with a sixth-placed finish in the 2015 edition of this event.
Aguilar held a two-shot lead at the turn with excellent approach play producing birdies on the first, third, fifth and seventh while Li also turned in 32, with big drives making light work of the seventh and eighth and adding to gains on the third and fifth.
The advantage was wiped out as Li holed from the fringe on the tenth and produced a lovely chip on the 11th but Aguilar responded with a nerveless ten-foot putt on the same hole.
Li put his tee-shot on the 15th on the cart path but got close from his free drop to get back into a share and an approach to three feet on the 17th - coupled with Aguilar's double-bogey on the 16th - meant a safe play up the par five last sealed the win.
Aguilar parred the 17th and 18th to sign for a 69 and finish second,  a shot clear of Bjerregaard, Richard Bland and Marcel Siem.
Dane Bjerregaard struggled to find his touch on the greens as he closed with a 70, while England's Bland and German Siem both recorded final rounds of 66.
Peter Hanson, Scott Hend and Richie Ramsay were then at 17 under, a shot clear of David Lipsky, Alex Noren, Borja Virto Astudillo and Fabrizio Zanotti.
SCOTSWATCH (by Colin Farquharson): Richie Ramsay tied for sixth place on 271 with scores of 68, 70, 67 and 66.  He had six birdies over his final 13 holes in halves of 33.
Stephen Gallacher shared 28th place on 277 with rounds of 69, 69, 71 and 68.
Craig Lee had scores of 72, 68, 68 and 71 for 279 and a T39 finish.
Marc Warren finished T53 on 282 with scores of 73, 68, 70 and 71.
David Drysdale, the only other Scot to beat the cut, tied for 60th place on 286 with scores of 72 69, 73  and 72.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
par 288 (4x72)
266 Haotong Li (China) 69 67 66 64
269 Felipe Aguilar (Chile) 68 65 67 69
270 Richard Bland (England) 69 67 68 66, Marcel Siem (Germany) 68 67 69 66, Lucas Bjerregaard (Denmark) 68 67 65 70.

SCOTS' TOTALS
271 Richie Ramsay 68 70 67 66 (T6)
277 Stephen Gallacher 69 69 71 68 (T28)
279 Craig Lee 72 68 68 71 (T39)
282 Marc Warren 73 68 70 71 (T53)
286 David Drysdale 72 69 73 72 (T60) 

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