Jimenez smokes victory cigar again in Hong Kong

Standing on the 18th tee of the club’s famed Composite Course, regularly voted as the finest finishing hole in Asian golf, Jimenez and Karlsson shared the lead at 16-under par – two shots ahead crowd favourite KJ Choi – with a play-off looming for the first time in 13 years.

However, in stunning reminder of two years ago when Colin Montgomerie stole victory from James Kingston, a series of final-hole dramas provided another chapter in the legend of the Fanling finish.

With record crowds, topping 31,000 for the first time in the event’s storied history, flocking to the final green, Karlsson nailed his drive to the perfect position on the 410-yard, par-four. However, he then left his approach short of the green after trying to thread his ball between the pond and bunker that protect the traditional Sunday hole location.

Two chips and two putts later, the Swede’s double-bogey six allowed Jimenez, who won here in 2004, the luxury of three-putting for another victory on a course he professes to greatly enjoy.

The final-hole suspense saw the popular Spaniard, who pocketed US$375,000 for his efforts, record a final-round three-under 67 and four-day aggregate of 15-under 265 to collect his 15th European Tour-sanctioned victory.

He ended just one shot ahead of three players, including Karlsson, Choi and Thongchai Jaidee, who stormed home with six birdies in his final seven holes, which shared second.

Amongst the other big names in town for the championship, Trevor Immleman finished tied for seventh, Mike Weir was equal 12th and then UBS Order of Merit leader, Liang Wen-chong of China, was 15th. Twice US Open champion Retief Goosen ended in a share of 20th position.

Said Jimenez: “I like the golf course very much. I have said from the first year that I came here and won in 2004. It is and old-fashioned course with a beautiful design. You need to play very well from tee to green and, of course, you need to putt very well.

“It is always a special feeling when you win a tournament, especially after a long time. That proves to me that the ball is still going the right way!”

For China’s Liang, though, his finish in 15th meant he has to wait a little longer to claim one of Asia’s most sought after sporting titles.

Having led the UBS Order of Merit since May, Liang added US$30,420 to his kitty at Fanling to build his lead over second-placed Anton Haig to about US$98,000 to virtually seal the honour. However, he would have to wait three more events until claiming the title officially at season's end in a stunning individual season.

So, for Jimenez, UBS and the record crowds that flocked to Fanling it was a weekend of thrills. Indeed, it was another fitting conclusion to the heritage tournament of Asian golf.