In Munich, Chinese Haotong Li (62 67 67 70) wins the BMW International Open after beating Belgian Thomas Pieters (69 64 66 67) with a birdie on the first hole of the play-off. In Germany, on the course of the Munchen Eichenried Golf Club (par 72), both closed the 72 regular holes with a score of 266 (-22) strokes but to make the difference, in the play-off, it was a feat of the 26-year-old from Hunan who returns so to the success on the DP World Tour four and a half years after the last time (January 2018, Omega Dubai Desert Classic).
For the Chinese it is the third success in his career on the circuit, which came at the end of a race that was first dominated, then suffered, then won.
Haotong Li, BMW International Open
Leading from the first round, in the last Li made a strong start, scoring three birdies in the first five holes.
So, with four bogeys between 6 and 15 (another birdie in the middle), he called everything into question. At 16 and 17 came the reaction, but he needed the play-off to take the title. In an event that closed in 21st place with a score of 276 (71 69 67 69, -12) by Edoardo Molinari from Turin.
Further back the Apulian Francesco Laporta, 36 / o with 279 (68 68 69 74, -9). This weekend’s DP World Tour event ended just a few moments ago. 72 holes were not enough to decree the winner of the BMW International Open (prize money 2 million euros), as the Belgian Thomas Pieters with a super last lap grabbed the Chinese Haotong Li at -22 (266 shots).
Pieters, thanks to today’s -5, reached the top of the eastern forcing him to the playoff holes. A mockery for Li, who from the first holes on Thursday placed himself in command of the leaderboard without ever hesitating.
However, the Chinese, on the replay of hole 18, first misses with the third shot, then he invents a miraculous putt from far away, which gives him the victory after four years of waiting. On the par 72 course of the Munchen Eichenried Golf Club in Munich (Germany) third place for the Australian Ryan Fox, who climbs to the third step of the podium with a score of -20.
18th and fourth position for the Finnish Sami Valimaki, who precedes by a length a trio composed of the Spanish Pablo Larrazabal, the French Romain Langasque, and the German Nicolai Von Dellingshausen. -16 and eighth place for the South African Louis Oosthuizen and for the English Jordan Smith, the French Frederic Lacroix, the Dutch Darius Van Driel, and the Japanese Kazuki Higa closed the top ten with -15.
First of the Italians, Edoardo Molinari, who managed an excellent second half of the race, recovering eight more positions thanks to the -3 of the day. For the Turin player a good 21st place, while Francesco Laporta collapses on the most beautiful.
The golfer from Castellana Grotte slips to 36th place with an overall score of -9 after the +2 of the Sunday round. For Li, 26, from Miluo City (Hunan, China), the success in Germany is the eighth of her career after three victories in the PGA of China, two in the OneAsia Tour, and two previous joys in the European Tour.
Haotong Li returns to smile four years after the victorious Omega Dubai Desert Classic 2018, thus jumping to 17th place in the DP World Tour Ranking.
