Milestones of the Hong Kong Open

The 2015 Hong Kong Open, which saw Justin Rose engaged in a thrilling tussle with Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard, provided tremendous drama. But Hong Kong’s oldest professional sporting event has a habit of producing more than its fair share of memorable moments

2010

The 2010 championship was another classic, with Ian Poulter sealing his 10th European Tour title with a tournament record total of 258 (22-under-par). Poulter had a decidedly hot putter to thank after taking the second-round lead with a jaw-dropping 10-under-par 60. Consistently hitting the ball to the centre of the small Fanling greens, the 34-year-old was rolling in 10-15-footers with amazing regularity.

But come the final round and Poulter, who had followed up with a 64 in the third round, was having to fend off the challenges mounted firstly by former winner Simon Dyson and then Italian teenage phenomenon Matteo Manassero, who fought his way right back into the tournament with a magnificent 62. Rory McIlroy, who had fired the low round on day one with a 63, was in the hunt yet again, but faded over the closing holes.

Poulter, who was playing with Graeme McDowell in the final group, made the tournament his own with an assured stretch of holes on the back nine, and could afford to bogey the last hole to claim the win by the slimmest of margins. For the record, Poulter made only two bogeys during the entire event, which highlights how unusually friendly the scoring conditions were at Fanling that week.

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