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Down to the Wire

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Four-time Major winner Ernie Els, Spanish star Miguel Angel Jimenez, three-time Asian Tour number one Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand, and defending champion Australian Scott Hend were just some of the top attractions in a stellar field at the Venetian Macau Open last month, which included 17 of the top-20 players from the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit. 
 
Ultimately it was Indian star Anirban Lahiri who claimed a sensational one-stroke victory at the US$900,000 tournament, after frontrunner Scott Hend agonisingly bogeyed the last hole on Sunday.
Lahiri started the final round two shots behind overnight leader Hend and trailed by four at one stage, before rallying on the home stretch to pip Hend and Thailand’s Prom Meesawat.
 
The 27-year-old Indian signed for a final round of five-under-par 66, which included six birdies, and a winning aggregate of 17-under-par 267, taking home the winner’s cheque of US$162,000.
 
Hend, the defending champion who arrived in Macau in top form after winning the Hong Kong Open last week, lipped out a par putt from four feet on the 72nd hole, as the roles reversed from last year’s edition where Lahiri was the runner-up. Hend settled for a 69 while Prom charged up the leaderboard with a 66.
 
“It’s really special. Hend was playing great golf and it was sad to see him missing that putt on the last,” said Lahiri, who secured his second win of the season and fifth Asian Tour victory.
 
“I knew he was playing some good golf and I told myself that I was going to keep coming back, keep coming back and keep attacking. I wanted to make him think I was not going to go away. I think I played really well.”
 
The Venetian Macao has extended its title sponsorship of the Venetian Macau Open for a further two years until 2016 following its successful association with Macau’s premier golf championship, committing to further increase the tournament’s prize fund. The Macau Sport Development Board (MSDB) and its partners, the Asian Tour, Macau Golf Association and IMG, jointly announced that next year’s edition will return to the Macau Golf and Country Club from October 15 to18.
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