Although holding a six-shot lead after 54 holes, Aaron Rai had to defend strongly against an on-fire Matthew Fitzpatrick, who fired a six-under-par 64 for a four-round total of 264. The 23-year-old never actually surrendered the lead on Sunday but saw his overnight advantage cut to a single stroke by Fitzpatrick during a thrilling final-round battle in the pouring rain at Hong Kong Golf Club.
Five-time European Tour winner Fitzpatrick had fired seven birdies in his first 16 holes to mount a challenge on Rai. “Matt played incredible all day,” said Rai. “He had been putting so well and you don’t want to see that. It did give me a cushion down the 18, which is nice and it’s good to have as many shots as possible.”