(Golf European Tour/Text)In the early morning of April 25th, Beijing time, the last match day of the 2022 Handa Championship ended on a beautiful day. China’s Li Haotong shot -3 on the fourth match day and finished sixth with a total score of -10. Spanish local player Lala Zabao won the championship with a -15, and he also received a championship bonus of 340,000 US dollars.
Li Haotong had an excellent start on the last day. He opened the door for three straight birdies and made four birdies in the first six holes. At this time, he was only two shots away from the top of the leaderboard, and once saw the hope of competing for the championship.
However, he then suffered bogeys on the 7th and 10th holes, and his momentum began to slow. However, on the 13th hole of the par-4 hole, Haotong found an opportunity. He drove the ball directly to the flagpole with a 1-wood tee, then pushed the ball forward and successfully captured the eagle. At this point, his position with the leader was reduced to two strokes.
The 15th hole, the hardest of the back nines, once again blocked his progress. He had a bogey here, and at the same time Lara Zabo led by -14, so he was four shots away from the leader. After three holes, Hao Tong completed with par.
In the end, Li Haotong handed over 1 eagle, 4 birds and 3 bogeys in a single day, -3 strokes and a total score of -10 strokes, ranking 6th in the race. It was also his second top-10 finish on the DP World Tour this season.
Pablo Larazapo, who had been on an upward trend on match day three, was even better today. He got off to a solid start and opened the birdie account on the 4th hole.
After making another birdie on the 7th hole, Lara Zabao’s state was full, and he made 5 birdies from the 9th hole to the 13th hole. Among them, after making a birdie on the 13th hole, Lara Zabao came to a separate leading position with -14. After that, he had a bogey on the 15th hole and a total score of -13, tied with the other three players for first place.
On the 16th hole, the first par-5 hole, Lala Zabao successfully made a birdie and led by one stroke again. Then on the other par-5 18th hole, he made another birdie to temporarily extend his lead to two strokes. In the end, no one could close the gap, and he also managed to win the Handa Championship with a one-day total score of -15.
(Lalla Zabao successfully won the championship)
This is Lara Zabao’s second DP World Tour title this season and his seventh DP World Tour title.
After this victory, Lara Zabao moved up to fourth in the DP World Tour rankings, returning to the top 100 in the world rankings.
(Lala Zabao shared the joy of winning the championship with relatives and friends after the game)
“Despite the poor feel of the putter in the first three days of the game, I still asked my girlfriend to prepare for the photoshoot after winning the championship today,” Lara Zabao said after the game.
In the past few years, Lara Zabao has encountered a low point in his career. He admits that he has considered leaving the golf course many times. However, he still chose to persevere, and winning the championship is also a reward for himself. “Because of the trust of people around me and my dedication and patience in peacetime, I think I am worthy of this championship.”
In the fourth round, another Spanish player, Adrian Ortegui, who started in the leading group, felt dull. After he made three birdies on the first five holes, the offensive stalled. He also went from a solo lead with -13 to a tie until he was overtaken by Lara Zabao.
(Otegui in the game)
When Lara Zabo finished at -15, Ortegui was still at -13, but he still had three holes to play. However, it wasn’t until the 18th hole that Ortegui got an eagle. But his eagle push failed to hit the target, and he could only watch Lala Zabao win the championship.
Oteji, who missed the eagle, still seized the opportunity for birdie. This shot also made him change from T2 to second alone. In the end, he finished runner-up with a score of -14.
South African player Henney Duplesis and Canada’s Aaron Cockerill both finished the day with -3 strokes. The two had a combined score of -13 and were tied for third place.Return to Sohu, see more