Adrian Otaegui staged a stunning comeback to capture his fifth DP World Tour title at the Volvo China Open, securing a coveted spot in the US PGA Championship later this month.
Entering the final round at Hidden Grace Golf Club with a daunting five-shot deficit, Otaegui had his work cut out for him.
The Swede, Sebastian Söderberg, had held the lead since Friday after thunderstorms forced the cancellation of the third round in Shenzhen.
However, brighter skies on Sunday hinted at a potential shift in fortunes.
Otaegui seized the opportunity with a hot start, collecting four birdies on the front nine to reach a share of the lead by the turn.
A well-timed birdie at the par-five 13th followed by consecutive birdies on the 16th and 17th propelled him to the top of the leaderboard at 18 under par.
Holding his nerve on the par-four 18th, Otaegui clinched the victory with a flawless par, signing for a sizzling seven under par closing 65.
His one-shot triumph left three-time DP World Tour winner Guido Migliozzi in second place, while a dramatic final tee-shot by Söderberg sent him out of bounds, resulting in a double bogey that dropped him into a tie for third with England’s Paul Waring and Switzerland’s Joel Girrbach at 16 under par.
Further down the leaderboard, Lloyd Jefferson Go from the Philippines landed in sixth at 15 under par.
South Africa’s Brandon Stone’s impressive final-round 64 earned him a seventh-place finish, one shot behind Go.
Austrian Matthias Schwab and American Johannes Veerman tied for eighth at 13 under, with France’s Antoine Rozner rounding out the top ten at 12 under.
In addition to making history as the first Spanish player to win the Volvo China Open, Otaegui’s victory catapulted him 46 places to 13th on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.
He also surged to third in the Asian Swing Rankings, securing his spot in the US PGA Championship alongside Söderberg, who topped the rankings, and Japan’s Keita Nakajima, who placed second.
