Wu Ashun wins the Volvo China Open to create history
Monday 27 April 2015 10:34, UK
Wu Ashun became the first Chinese player to win a European Tour event on home soil on Sunday as David Howell bogeyed the 72nd hole of the Volvo China Open.
Howell needed to par the par-five 18th at Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club to force a play-off after Wu had set the clubhouse target on nine under par in testing conditions.
However, the former Ryder Cup player three-putted from the fringe after charging his birdie attempt seven feet past the hole, to hand victory to world No 247 Wu.
Argentina's Emiliano Grillo, who double-bogeyed the 17th, shared third place on seven under with defending champion Alexander Levy and Thailand's Prom Meesawat, with 19-year-old Li Hao-tong following his runners-up finish in the Shenzhen International last week with sixth place after a bogey on the last.
Howell, who had shared the overnight lead with Wu, Levy and Li, looked the most likely winner when he carded his fourth birdie of the day on the 11th to claim the outright lead, only to bogey the 14th after failing to get up and down from a greenside bunker.
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"Obviously a crying shame for me not to come home with the trophy, but there's I don't know how many billion people who are rather pleased I made 6 on the last," Howell said.
That left him tied with Wu in the group ahead who had birdied the 10th and finished with eight straight pars to card a closing 71 which ultimately proved good enough for victory.
