Li Haotong from the Chinese mainland secured his victory at the DP World Tour Qatar Masters in Doha, Qatar, on Monday with a decisive birdie putt on the 18th hole. Finishing the week at minus-16, Li delivered a standout performance with a three-under-par 69 in the final round.
Entering the last 18 holes with a two-shot lead, Li began his final stretch with consecutive birdies, extending his advantage to four shots. However, Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen mounted a comeback on the back nine, narrowing the gap and bringing the competition to a head-to-head battle down to the final hole.
As the two players stood neck-and-neck on the 18th, Li faced a challenging approach shot that landed in the bunker. Demonstrating remarkable composure, he chipped his recovery shot to 15 feet from the cup and sank the crucial birdie putt, securing his first tournament win since the 2022 BMW International Open in Munich, Germany.
\"It means a lot. I never thought I could come back in this position,\" Li remarked. \"Even after yesterday, I felt like this morning was really stressed. I'm just so pleased I made that putt on the last. I'm just very glad I closed out nicely. I'm guaranteed to celebrate this one nicely. Definitely going to enjoy that.\"
Neergaard-Petersen finished in second place, one shot behind Li, while England's Brandon Robinson Thompson took third place, two shots behind the Danish golfer and three shots behind Li.
Reference(s):
China's Li Haotong wins Qatar Masters title with dramatic birdie at 18
cgtn.com
