Haotong the Qatar hero thanks to 72nd hole birdie
Haotong Li. Picture: Getty Images
China’s Li Haotong was understandably emotional after he rammed in a 15-footer for a closing birdie to win the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters and his fourth DP World Tour title.
More than two-and-a-half years after making a 45-footer on the first playoff hole to snatch the BMW International and end a four-and-a-half-year drought, the former world number 32 claimed another dramatic win with a closing 69 at Doha Golf Club.
The Chinese star (29) won by a shot on 16-under from last year’s HotelPlanner Tour number one Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen of Denmark, who set the target by carding an best-of-the-day, eight-birdie 65.
“I feel great,” said an emotional Li, who threatened to quit the game during his previous victory drought and fell outside the world’s top 500 just over a year ago.
“It’s an emotional one. Seems like everyone is quite emotional. I’ve been playing really well. I handled my emotions quite nicely, especially on that back nine.”
The former Volvo China Open and Dubai Desert Classic winner doubled his overnight lead to four shots with birdies on the first two holes.
He then cancelled out bogeys on the eighth and 11th with birdies on the ninth and 12th as Neergaard-Petersen raced to six under par through 15 holes to apply pressure.
The Dane took the outright lead with a birdie at the 16th as Li bogeyed the 15th hole.
But Neergaard-Petersen bogeyed the 17th and Li birdied the short par four 16th and matched the Dane’s closing birdie four to win despite hitting a poor greenside bunker shot to 15 feet.
"It was quite tough for me and those bogeys were hard to swallow,” Li said. “But I kept telling myself I was still in it here and I just keep hitting my shots. If the day was my day it would come, if not, we’d go next time.
"I actually didn’t settle my nerves like yesterday, but it helped a lot and I didn’t expect those two birdies to start. I just handled my emotions really well today.”
He felt his chance had gone when he failed to get up and down for par from 50 yards the 15th.
“I knew I had to up and down to have a chance and I didn’t,” said Li, who returns to the world’s top 150 and leaps to seventh in the Race to Dubai.
"But my caddie told me we’d birdie 16 and 17 so we’d be fine. Then I birdied 16 and hit a good putt on 17.
Jamie Rutherford of England poses with the trophy on day four of the Cell C Cape Town Open in association with Honor 2025 at Royal Cape Golf Club on February 09, 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images
“On 18 I asked the cameraman what was going on, he said ‘you guys are tied’, so I needed a birdie to close out.
“I did what I did. I hit a perfect drive, a little bit off, which is normal, then duffed the bunker shot. Somehow, when I stood on that putt, I felt like it could be in, then halfway, I couldn’t control it any more.”
England’s Brandon Robinson Thompson finished third on 13-under as Portmarnock rookie Conor Purcell (27) shot an adventurous, two-over 74 to finish tied for 42nd on one-under.
The Dubliner followed an opening bogey with birdies and the second and sixth but ran up a triple-bogey eight at the ninth after driving out of bounds.
He fought back with birdies at the 12th and 16th but found water from the tee and double-bogeyed the par-three 17th.
On the HotelPlanner Tour, England’s Jamie Rutherford (32) shot a three-under 69 to claim his maiden win in front of his family in the Cell C Cape Town Open in association with Honor.
After winning by two shots on 14-under from South African Keenan Davidse, he said: “I’m so happy and I played so well in difficult conditions...
“My family have been so supportive throughout my career. The fact they’ve travelled halfway around the world to watch me play just shows how much they’re there for me.”
Jonathan Caldwell (40), the only Irish player to make the cut, closed with a 70 to finish joint 28th on five-under.
