THE FIRST Asian champion in 10 years.

Taiwan's Lin Wen-tang achieved that feat as he won a nail-biting Hong Kong Open on the second play-off hole yesterday.

Lin drilled an astonishing pitch to within a foot for a tap-in birdie as Northern Irish teenager Rory McIlroy found trees and missed a long putt to end a day of high drama.

For Lin, from Taipei, it was the biggest victory of his career after three previous triumphs on the regional Tour and became the first Asian Hong Kong Open winner since Kang Wook Soon in 1998.

'This is my first European Tour win and my feelings cannot be described,' said the beaming Lin.

'I'm very excited to be Chinese and win the tournament. I've proved that the Chinese can do it.'

The 34-year-old had missed a six-foot birdie on the last hole of regulation play to go into the play-off with McIlroy, 19, and Italy's Francesco Molinari, with all three locked at 15-under-265.

Lin then looked to have lost his chance when he drove into thick trees on the first play-off hole, the par-four 18th. But he made a miraculous escape to within four feet for birdie.

Molinari missed his long birdie putt to drop out of the play-off but there were no such problems for McIlroy, who lasered his pitch to within two feet to take them back to the 18th tee.

Formality

The teenager then found the trees but kept his hopes alive with another breathtaking shot to the edge of the green. But he could not hole the putt, making Lin's victory a formality.

'Lin probably should have won it in regulation, and he made two threes in the play-offs. You can't beat that, to be honest,' said McIlroy.

'I had an incredible shot for my second shot, but it just wasn't meant to be,' he added.

Lin said his incredible shot out of the trees on the first extra hole was almost like a gift from above.

'I knew it would be a very, very tough shot and I didn't know quite how to play it,' he said.

'But I'd been working hard for the last four days and I really didn't want to collapse or give up. I went for it and it's like I got some help from God.'

Overnight leader Oliver Wilson had a three-shot lead early in the last round but suddenly imploded with three straight bogeys on 15, 16 and 17 to drop out of the reckoning.

AFP

FINAL SCORES

265: Lin Wen-tang 65-69-64-67, Rory McIlroy 70-64-66-65, Francesco Molinari 66-67-67-65

267: Pablo Larrazabal 69-67-64-67, Chawalit Plaphol 66-66-70-65

268: David Gleeson 72-65-65-66, Bernhard Langer 69-67-63-69, Iain Steel 68-68-66-66, Richard Sterne 64-69-69-66, Oliver Wilson 66-66-65-71

Selected

276: Mardan Mamat 70-67-67-72