Chinese golfer Li lands Dubai Classic
Haotong Li became the first Asian to win the Omega Dubai Desert Classic title.
dubai — All along, this was built up as the Rory McIlroy show, especially after events of the previous week in Abu Dhabi.
The Northern Irishman had hit the ground running on his comeback with a tied third at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.
And the way he had begun the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, it was a given that the 28-year-old would have another tilt and quite possibly a record-equalling third Desert Classic.
This was until an unheralded Chinese pulled the rug from under the former world No.1’s feet. McIlroy had had previous experiences, those of 2009, his first European
I don’t have many trophies at home. I was quite happy to lift that heavy thing Li Haotong
Tour win, and 2015 to count on. Li Haotong had none. And perhaps, that probably helped him. He had never been in a final round, in contention, against a quality field such as this and against a golfer of the stature of McIlroy.
He shut that out completely and showed patience, the virtues of which he had spoken of, after the third round on Saturday.
Errors did creep up, but that was expected and could be put down to nerves. It was how Li responded to them, those three bogeys that dotted his front nine through to 12 holes.
Respond he did, knocking in four birdies out of the last six holes, to make it his own. It helped that McIlroy fluffed 12 and 16 but Li had to make those tough putts on 15 and 18.
Like McIlroy said later that he tried his best and had to make Li win it in the end, not gift it to him on a platter.
After coming through unscathed, it took a while for it to sink in, that Li had just upstaged a former world No.1, a three-time Race to Dubai champion, at the famed Majlis Course on Sunday. “Incredible,” Li described. It was quite a heavy trophy that Li had to lift, a big one in terms of size and value and he would have to make a bigger trophy cabinet now. “I don’t have many trophies at home. I was quite happy to lift that heavy thing,” he said.
Asked to put a finger on where it turned around for him, he said: “I just didn’t realise I could make that putt on 15. That was huge. I think that was the turning point. And especially on 18, didn’t realise I would make that one, either.”
Li’s frame of mind was to not let it slip away too much despite those bogeys on 10 and 12.
“I just wanted to keep pulling myself in a position and just not go too far away. I’m quite happy with what I did,” said Li. Indeed, he should be.