Bernd Wiesberger ended his prolonged wait for another DP World Tour title thanks to an impressive comeback victory at the China Open.
The 40-year-old Austrian, who previously took part in LIV Golf, came into the final round at the Shanghai Enhance Anting Golf Club a shot behind overnight leader Adrian Otaegui of United Arab Emirates and by the turn that gap extended to three.
However, Wiesberger found form with a pivotal run of three birdies in four holes beginning at the 10th to pull himself back into contention as Otaegui began to stumble. The Spanish-born Emirati saw his performance unravel with costly bogeys at the 12th and 16th which led to him relinquishing the lead. A double-bogey at the last all but cemented Wiesberger’s victory which he confirmed with a steady par putt at the last to finish on 19 under, carding a final-round 67.
It’s the Austrian’s eighth career DP World Tour title but his first since the Made in HimmerLand presented by FREJA in 2021.
“It’s been a tough couple of years,” Wiesberger said. “An unbelievable week.
“I played my heart out today, it wasn’t pretty at times but I got it done.
“Adrian is a great competitor and had it under control, but something happened on that tenth hole that I can’t explain. That’s how golf goes sometimes.
“I’m super proud of sticking through hard times on the golf course lately, but this is for everyone at home and couldn’t be happier.
“Everyone is watching and super excited now, and it changes my next couple of years a little bit. It gets me into the Rolex Series events again and that’s huge.”
Otaegui’s final-round 71 saw him claim second on 16 under while Sweden’s Mikael Lindner fired a final-round 67 to complete the top three on 14 under.
What is the next event?
The next event on the DP World Tour schedule is the Turkish Airlines Open taking place between April 30-May 3 at National GC in Turkey.