Haotong Li sunk a pressure birdie putt at the last to secure a tight one-shot victory at the Qatar Masters and collect his fourth DP World Tour title.
The 29-year-old from China, who came into the tournament ranked 300 in the world, entered the final round at Doha Golf Club as the overnight leader with a two-shot advantage and extended that advantage to four thanks a back-to-back birdies on the opening two holes.
However, his advantage was quickly wiped by Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen after Li stuttered and the Dane took control of the contest on the back nine.
The duo were neck-and-neck as they approached the 18th but it was Li who came out on top and held his nerve by draining a crucial 15 foot birdie putt to seal his first victory since the 2022 BMW International Open.
“It means a lot. I never thought I could come back in this position,” said Li. “Even after yesterday, I felt like this morning was really stressed.
“I’m just so pleased I made that putt on the last. I’m just very glad I closed out nicely.
“I’m guaranteed to celebrate this one nicely. Definitely going to enjoy that.”
Victory means that he now matches fellow Chinese golfer Ashun Wu’s four victories on the DP World Tour, a record for most wins on the circuit by a mainland Chinese golfer.
England’s Brandon Robinson-Thompson completed the top three on 13 under following a final-round 70.
What is the next event?
The next event on the DP World Tour is the Magical Kenya Open taking place between 20-23 February at Muthaiga Golf Club in Kenya.