Chen thrills fans with Luxehills victory in Chengdu
Chen Jian wins his first Omega China Tour title in Chengdu
06.14.2009 – June 14, 2009: Chen Jian won his first omegachinatour title and a host of new admirers after outlasting Australian Rowan Beste in a thrilling play-off at the RMB1 million Luxehills Golf Championship in Chengdu .
Large galleries cheered on Chen, who won RMB180,000, as he carded a two-under 70 for an 11-under total of 277, while playing partner Beste shot 69 at the Luxehills International Country Club.
Lu Wen-teh (70), a five-time Asian Tour champion, finished on nine-under, one ahead of Liao Guiming (71), the reigning Omega Order of Merit winner.
Wu Weihuang (71) and Kurt Barnes (69), winners of the season’s first two events, shared fifth on seven-under, one ahead of a four-strong group including 2008 champion Tsai Chi-huang (71).
The ever-smiling Chen, 34, emerged a humble hero in a cooker-pressure atmosphere, which was heightened by live television coverage for the first time on the Omega China Tour.
After Beste narrowly missed a five-foot putt for par at the second play-off hole, the 34-year-old Kunming-based teaching pro coolly stroked home a two-footer to par the par-five 18th for the third straight time.
“I’m so excited. Winning this is a dream come true. I don’t really have the words to express how I feel,” Chen said.
“I’m a relaxed guy so I wasn’t nervous, not even in the play-off. However, when Beste missed his par-putt on the second play-off hole, I knew I had my chance and took it.”
Chen’s only previous top-10 finish on the Omega China Tour was in 2005 in Kunming , where he has been based since 2002. However, successive joint-12th finishes in the Omega Championship last October and the Dell Championship in March boosted his confidence as he competed in the final group for the first time.
“There were so many fans today, which made it so much fun,” said Chen, who has focused on his putting and chipping since moving to work at the Wanda Golf Club, where the driving range has yet to be completed.
“With so many people watching, I really wanted to prove I could play, that I belonged here. When I birdied the eight and heard the crowd roar, I felt great. It was just an amazing atmosphere.”
The third-round leader had a rollercoaster start as he opened with a birdie, double-bogey and birdie. Beste, 28, drew level with a birdie at four and racked up three more and a bogey by the turn to go 11-under, one ahead of Chen, who had birdied eight.
The pair were level again after Beste bogeyed 14 and the intensity increased when both players birdied the par-five 16th to take the outright lead on 11-under, one ahead of Lu.
After both players parred the final two holes, Beste had a chance to win at the first play-off hole, the 18th, but narrowly missed his 10-foot birdie putt. On the second extra hole, the Australian missed the green with his third and after his chip finished five feet short, his missed putt effectively conceded the title.
“I played well and I had chances, but didn’t take them. I’m not disappointed, as it was good to be there competing at the end,” said Beste, who played on the Asian Tour in 2006 and 2007.
“The crowds were pretty fair considering I was competing against a Chinese player. I loved the week, especially as I wasn’t playing so well leading up to the event.”
Amateur David Wei Wei, the 27-year-old national team player and second-round co-leader, shot a 75 to fall back to 11th place on five-under.
- Twitter Pitch
- Chen wins his first omega china tour event in Chengdu.
- Tweet It!
- News Facts
-
- Third Omega china tour event
- Chen Jian wins his first event.
- Resource Links
- golf accessories
- golf accessories
- Share via
Visit Newsroom
Subscribe
PitchEngine™ is not responsible or liable for the accuracy, validity or quality of this content. Users are solely responsible for the facts and accuracy of all information posted and shared on the Site. PitchEngine reserves the right to reject or hold social media releases that it deems not newsworthy in its judgment, at any time.
Limitation of Liability - In no event will PitchEngine be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, exemplary or consequential damages (Including, but not limited to, damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of programs or information, and the like). This disclaimer of liability applies to any damages or injury under any cause of action, including, without limitation, those caused by any failure of performance, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, computer virus or bug, communication line failure, theft, destruction or alteration of or unauthorized access to the Site or materials on the Site.
© Copyright 2009 PitchEngine, Inc.
Download vCards
Ask a Question or Add Your Comment