Korean holds off Woods to win HSBC Champions event

MARC WARREN BREAKS PAR
EVERY ROUND FOR
5TH PLACE IN CHINA

Korean Yang Young-eun upstaged the biggest names in world golf to win the HSBC Champions tournament in China on Sunday, standing firm on a thrilling final day against the combined challenges from Major champions Tiger Woods, Retief Goosen and Michael Campbell.
A final round of three-under-par 69 gave Yang a winning 14-under-par total of 274, two ahead of Woods, who battled bravely with a 67 in his attempt to win a seventh successive stroke-play event but simply had too much ground to make up. Campbell, in stark contrast to his third-round 77, equalled the course record of 64 at Sheshan International Golf Club with some stunning golf to share third place with overnight leader Goosen but, like Woods, the 2005 US Open Champion had left himself with too much to do.
European Tour Rookie of the Year Marc Warren, pictured above, from East Kilbride broke par in every round in finishing fifth on 278. Marc had a final round of 71 - had he been able to match the closing round of compatriot Colin Montgomerie, who shot 67 for joint 14th place on 282, Warren would have forced a play-off with the winner!
Woods got his challenge going with a burst of three birdies before the turn but his momentum faltered with a bogey on the 11th. Although he birdied three more coming home, it was not enough.
“I had my chances,” said Woods, who was also runner-up in the HSBC Champions last year. “Yesterday was the day, if I could have hung in there, I could have been a challenge for the tournament today but I was too far back and Yang just went on and played some great holes. He just went off and it was basically out of reach, and I was just trying to get as many birdies as I can and maybe get second.”
Yang's stunning triumph marked an extended run of form for Asian players on the international stage following Indian Jeev Milkha Singh's recent victory at the Volvo Masters in Spain and Choi Kyung-ju's triumph on the US PGA Tour.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4 x 72)
274 - Yang Yong-eun (Kor) 66-72-67-69
276 - Tiger Woods (US) 72-64-73-67
277 - Retief Goosen (SAf) 68-67-69-73, Michael Campbell (NZ) 66-70-77-64
278 - Marc Warren (Sco) 66-71-70-71
280 - Paul Casey (Eng) 73-68-68-71, Padraig Harrington (Ire) 67-70-73-70, Robert Karlsson (Swe) 73-68-69-70.
281 - Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 65-69-72-75, Francesco Molinari (Ita) 72-68-69-72, K J Choi (Kor) 68-72-71-70, Johan Edfors (Swe) 68-74-69-70, Jim Furyk (US) 73-66-74-68
282 - John Bickerton (Eng) 68-71-71-72, Luke Donald (Eng) 70-69-71-72, Colin Montgomerie (Sco) 69-70-76-67
283 - Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 70-69-71-73
284 - Henrik Stenson (Swe) 76-64-70-74, Shiv Kapur (Ind) 71-67-74-72
285 - Bradley Dredge (Wal) 71-70-70-74, Nick O'Hern (Aus) 72-69-71-73, Charl Schwartzel (SAf) 72-72-71-70
286 - Anton Haig (SAf) 71-71-72-72, Kevin Stadler (US) 74-70-71-71, Camilo Villegas (Col) 71-71-75-69
287 - Gaurav Ghei (Ind) 72-70-71-74, Chris Dimarco (US) 70-74-73-70

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