HONG KONG (AP) — Aaron Rai won the Hong Kong Open on Sunday in difficult conditions that featured torrential rain for most of the afternoon to give him his first European tour win.
The 23-year-old Englishman who started the day with a six-stroke lead narrowly kept his nose in front as countryman Matthew Fitzpatrick played a superb round, hitting seven birdies to narrow the gap to just one shot after 16 holes.
A bogey by Fitzpatrick on the 17th, his first mistake of the day, gave Rai a two-stroke cushion as they headed into the final hole.
Rai shot a 69 for an overall total of 17-under-par 263, while Fitzpatrick finished second a shot back after a 64 on the final day.
Jason Scrivener and Victor Perez were tied third on 11 under.
