Haotong Li and Thomas Pieters finished their final rounds locked at 22-under par; the 18th hole returned for the play-off; Li thought a chance had gone after overhitting a chip from the edge; he then stunned the crowd by finding the hole from 50ft
Last Updated: 26/06/22 5:33pm
Haotong Li beat Thomas Pieters in a dramatic play-off after their final rounds in Munich
Haotong Li holed a putt from 50ft to win the BMW International Open in a dramatic play-off with Thomas Pieters.
Li and Pieters finished their final rounds on Sunday locked at 22-under par, with the 18th hole then coming back into play again for the first play-off hole.
The Chinese player approached the green well, but then a very heavy-handed chip left him in big trouble after Pieters had successfully come out of the bunker.
Li, who had missed a putt to win the title outright at the end of his final round, then stunned the crowd by finding the hole from 50ft and roared in delight when Pieters was unable to extend the play-off.
Li is back in the winner’s circle four years and 149 days after his previous triumph
“I don’t have the words to describe this right now,” Li said after.
“As soon as I chipped the ball, I thought that I’d given another chance away. I couldn’t believe that was going to happen to me again.
“Ten months ago, I thought I would quit golf and somehow, [look] where I am now, it’s golf. It’s so hard to describe. I had no idea I could win this play-off.”
The Chinese player had held the lead at the end of every round in Munich, including equalling his career-best round and the course record with a 10-under-par 62 on the opening day.
“I knew it was going to be super tough and I just kept thinking to hang in there. Win or lose, I just wanted to play my best out there and luckily I did.”
More to follow…
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