HONG KONG – New Zealand’s Ben Campbell did not have a good day on Sunday and he was “battling” the whole time but it eventually paid off for the 32-year-old.
A relative unknown, the world No. 635 sunk a 10-foot birdie putt at the last to win the Hong Kong Open by a shot from former British Open champion Cameron Smith in a dramatic finish to the Asian Tour event at Fanling.
Campbell hit a four-under 66 to finish on a 19-under 261 total and pip Smith (68) to a title previously won by Major champions Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Greg Norman. Overnight leader Phachara Khongwatmai suffered a late slump for a 69 and dropped into a tie for third on 263.
“I was battling away all day,” said Campbell, who becomes the first player to win the US$2 million (S$2.72 million) tournament since its return from a three-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I’ve had quite a few injuries and bulged discs in the back and things like that, so I had to change the swing quite a bit, especially in the last two or three years.
“I didn’t get off to the best of starts and the swing wasn’t feeling that great.
“I was getting a bit tight in the swing but from past experiences I was able to put together a couple of nice swings down the stretch, which really helped.”
He added of his win: “Monkey’s off the back now.”
Phachara led Smith by a shot with Campbell a further stroke back when the final trio stood on the 16th tee, but the Thai’s drive deep into the bushes resulted in a double bogey that dropped him into a share for second with Campbell.
However, a birdie at the next for Phachara and Campbell, who both sunk six-foot putts, meant the three players went to the final hole level on 18 under.
Campbell prevailed, rolling in a perfectly judged downhill putt to win by a stroke from Smith, while Phachara’s bogey saw him finish in a tie for third with Canada’s Richard Lee (64).
Veteran Mardan Mamat, Singapore’s only entry, missed the cut by five shots with rounds of 71 and 72.
It was a disappointing ending for the 2022 British Open champion Smith, who was hoping to become the latest Australian to win Asia’s second-oldest professional golf tournament.
“Pretty poor over the weekend,” said the 30-year-old, one of the biggest names to make the move to the lucrative Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour.
“But I hung in there good, so lots of positives to take from that, but definitely wasn’t the nicest golf to be played over the last couple of days.
“It didn’t feel great, but it was still OK. Plenty of positives to take away from it, it was just a frustrating weekend.” REUTERS, AFP
