2003
Paddy Power
A cracking Hong Kong Open was brought to a fitting end by Padraig Harrington, whose dramatic 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole won him the championship by the narr
owest of margins.
The Irishman, who also birdied the 17th, finished one shot clear of second-placed South African Hennie Otto with an 11-under-par total of 269.
But while the 32-year-old Harrington's grandstand finish was the most memorable moment of a brilliant week, it was actually a shot played on the 16th, which helped save par, that he remembers best.
Lying two shots behind Otto at the time, Harrington found his ball on a sandy patch of turf up against the back of a greenside bunker, just yards from the pin. Knowing that a bogey would end all hopes of a maiden Hong Kong title, Harrington executed a wonderful pitch that stopped within tap-in distance, which kept him in the title hunt.
"It was probably the best pitch shot that I've ever played," recalled Harrington. "I managed to hit it perfectly and save par. That was the real turning point of the final round."
