By Michael Church
HONG KONG (Reuters) – New Zealand’s Ben Campbell sunk a 10-foot birdie putt at the last to win the Hong Kong Open by a shot from former British Open champion Cameron Smith in a dramatic finish to the Asian Tour event at Fanling on Sunday.
Campbell hit a four-under par 66 to finish 19-under and pip Smith to a title previously won by major champions Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Greg Norman, with overnight leader Phachara Khongwatmai suffering a late slump to drop into a tie for third.
“I was battling away all day,” said Campbell, who becomes the first player to win the tournament since its return from a four-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I didn’t get off to the best of starts and the swing wasn’t feeling that great.
“I was getting a bit tight in the swing but from past experiences I was able to put together a couple of nice swings down the stretch, which really helped.”
Phachara led Smith by a shot with Campbell a further stroke back when the final trio stood on the 16th tee, but the Thai’s drive deep into the bushes resulted in a double bogey that dropped him into a share for second with Campbell.
However, a birdie at the next for Phachara and Campbell, who both sunk six-foot putts, meant the three players went to the final hole level on 18-under.
Campbell prevailed, rolling in a perfectly judged downhill putt to win by a stroke from Smith, while Phachara’s bogey saw him finish in a tie for third with Canada’s Richard Lee.
“I hit a few putts there in the practice round so I knew what I was doing,” said Campbell.
“I knew I was just going to aim and let it fade in there. It’s always nice to pull off the shot. Doing it under pressure’s another thing.”
(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
