Jimenez enjoys second triumph at UBS Hong Kong Open
 
Nov. 18, 2007

HONG KONG, China -- 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.

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Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain poses with the trophy after winning the UBS Hong Kong Open at the Hong Kong Golf Club on Nov. 18 in Fanling, Hong Kong. (Franklin/Getty Images)

Jimenez, who had previously won the event in 2004, held on to bogey the final 18th hole for the win as overnight-leader Karlsson double-bogeyed the 18th hole to finish tied for 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 $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 and also tied for 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," Jimenez said. "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."

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-5 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," Jimenez said.

"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," Jimenez added.

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," Karlsson said.

"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 liked 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-5 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 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 $30,420 for a total earning of $525,570.

Leading final-round scores
Total score Player Nationality Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Rd.4
265 Miguel Angel Jimenez Spain 65 67 66 67
266 Thongchai Jaidee Thailand 66 67 68 65
266 K.J. Choi Korea 62 72 65 67
266 Robert Karlsson Sweden 64 64 66 72
267 Peter Hanson Sweden 68 66 65 68
269 Graeme Mcdowell Northern Ireland 67 66 68 68
270 Trevor Immelman South Africa 71 62 70 67
270 Jarmo Sandelin Sweden 69 64 68 69
270 Gary Simpson Australia 69 67 65 69
270 Daniel Chopra Sweden 66 68 66 70
270 Marcus Fraser Australia 67 68 64 71
271 Mike Weir Canada 69 64 67 71
271 Scott Strange Australia 66 68 66 71
271 Shiv Kapur Inida 67 67 65 72
272 Robert-Jan Derksen Netherlands 72 67 68 65
272 Garry Houston Wales 63 71 71 67
272 Simon Dyson England 68 65 70 69
272 Thaworn Wiratchant Thailand 69 68 66 69
272 Liang Wen-Chong China 68 66 68 70