Who won what and where: Rose sneaks home in Hong Kong

European Tour: Hong Kong Open – Justin Rose

An eighth European Tour win for the Englishman as a 68 nudged him ahead of Lucas Bjerregaard in a two-horse race.

The Dane’s double bogey at 14, when he caught a tree with his second shot, proved crucial and a Rose birdie two holes later meant he could afford to bogey the 72nd hole.

South Korea’s Soomin Lee produced the round of the day,  64 to share third with Patrick Reed, Jason Scrivener and in-form Matt Fitzpatrick who is now up to 12th on the money list.

At the other end of the Race to Dubai Matt Ford, who began the week at 117th, kept his card with a tie for seventh but Ben Evans, who was one place behind Ford at the start of the week finished one shot behind him, and agonisingly short at 111th.


What Rose said: “It was the first time I had the chance to play with him. I was thoroughly impressed, not just his game but his temperament and how he is as a person.

“When you separate yourself from the field like we did, it’s probably a tough one for him to lose. But he didn’t lose it, just both of us played incredibly well.

“Dubai is a tournament I’ve played well at in the past. I’ve had a couple second-place finishes there. I’d love to break that duck, as well.”


What Bjerregaard said: “The last time I was out in the final group on a Sunday, I shot 89. So 20 shots better today, I’ll take that.”

PGA Tour: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open – Smylie Kaufman

This was just the fifth start on Tour for the delightfully named Smylie Kaufman and he closed it out with a 10-under 61 to head off a host of other rookies.

The front nine of three under was relatively ordinary but the 23-year-old then reeled of four birdies, including one at the 18th, and an eagle at 13 after driving the green.

He was done two and half hours later before the leaders were done and he watched half a dozen players come up a shot short.

Kaufman got his card through the Web.com Tour, where he finished sixth, and he will now make his way to Augusta in April.

The victory continues the great start the rookies have made after Emiliano Grillo won a fortnight ago when he beat Kevin Na, this week the in-form Na was one of the six players to come up just shy.

 

What Kaufman said: “It’s funny, on 9, my caddie — I asked him, I was like, who do you think is going to win this week? He’s like, well, I think there’s more to be said. I think you can post a number and you can see what happens. He knew better than I did, and I did it.”

“If you would’ve told me that I had a round at the Masters … if somebody was going to take me out and not completely with the Masters, just to play Augusta National, I would have freaked out. But now I’m playing the Masters. It’s a joke. It’s unbelievable.”

 

LPGA Tour: Taiwan Championship – Lydia Ko

The 18-year-old New Zealander went back to World No 1 as she added another collection of records with this nine-shot victory.

She becomes the youngest male or female to reach 10 wins at 18 years, 6 months and 1 day old, breaking breaks Nancy Lopez’s LPGA record by nearly three and a half years.

The margin of victory also marks the largest of her career, she won her first major title last month by six shots at the Evian Championship.

Ko now leads the LPGA Tour in nearly every major statistical category including Official Money, Race to CME Globe Points, Scoring Average, Rolex Player of the Year and Top 10s.

And she did with a closing 65, with birdies at four of the first six holes, to finish well clear of Eun-Hee Ji and Se Yeon Ryu at 20 under with Charley Hull in fourth and Suzann Pettersen fifth.

Afterwards she dedicated the win to former New Zealand Golf president Patsy Hankins who died last week and was someone Ko considers a mentor in her junior days.

What Ko said: “I was really playing for Patsy this week. Just hearing that on Friday morning broke my heart. She was such a huge factor into my life in my junior golf. To hear that she had passed away was very hard to hear that before you’re entering a round. I’m so happy that I can bring this win to her and her family.”

"The last time I was out in the final group on a Sunday, I shot 89. So 20 shots better today, I’ll take that," – Lucas Bjerregaard Ladies European Tour: Indian Open – Emily Kristine Pedersen

After losing a play-off for the French Open last month Pedersen collected her first win after leading from day one.

The 19-year-old (73) finished on level par, one clear of Cheyenne Woods, Becky Morgan and fellow Dane Malene Jorgensen.

Woods, Tiger’s niece, shared the lead but double-bogeyed the last while Pedersen bogeyed the last two holes but it was just enough thanks to a bogey also from Wales’ Morgan.


What Pedersen said: “The course has been a big challenge for us. I made a bogey on 17, three putted and I was kind of getting a flash back (to France) and I’m so happy it didn’t happen again and I could win. I was thinking about the play-off after 17 but my caddie Mikey Curry kept me going and focused on my own shots. I stepped back (on the final par putt which missed) because I couldn’t feel my hands and I was too afraid to hit it.”

 

What Woods said:  “At 18 I hit it in the bunker, my drive went too far through the fairway. Because of where the ball was I had to fade it in order to keep it in the fairway and once I faded it, it went a little too far, hit the cart path and went into the bush. The only option I had was to take an unplayable and go back.”

Challenge Tour: Foshan Open – Borja Virto Astudillo

The Spaniard completed a wire-to-wire victory to book his spot on next year’s European Tour. The 24-year-old parred the first eight holes of the back nine and then finished with a birdie to hold off Bjorn Akesson by two shots with a final-round 70. In the process he moved from 15th to third in the Road to Oman standings. The consolation for Akesson was that he also secured his  European Tour card for 2016. Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia leapfrogged Frenchman Sebastien Gros at the top of the money list with just one event to play courtesy of a tie for third.

 

What Astudillo said: “When I was walking to the green I knew I had won, but I didn’t really want to think about it, I just wanted to finish the hole. But it was an amazing feeling with all the people there and my dad on the bag – he has been struggling carrying the big bag but he’s done a fantastic job.

“It was a tough decision for me to choose to play on the Challenge Tour, missing out on big European Tour events, but now it’s completely worth it.”