UA victory and an ending that can sum up a life (and a sports career). Haotong Li won the BMW International Open after surviving. Not only on a Sunday to remember, but also throughout his career. One where she came close to falling in a total and absolute abyss after not finding his game.
Li fell in 2021 in 14 cuts in a row. Fourteen, line them up (as they say). It was a tremendous failure of the great hope of the Chinese megapower, which lost its representative in hell. But he kept going, he survived and in the BMW he had a prize. He started it spectacularly and on Sunday the tables turned. With defense as a way of life.
He came out in a spectacular way (‘birdie’-par-‘birdie’), which left him with a magnificent income of five strokes. But at 6 and 7 his hand disappeared on the green and he left bogeys. Open tournament, and there were Ryan Fox and Thomas Pieters, veterans of the DP World Tour. The Chinese fell into nervousness and, probably, into his sins, because two other More bogeys (13 and 15) made life difficult for him.
The character of Li
But he brought out his character. First, on 16 and 17 with two arreones in front of the hole platform that made him fight for the crown again. But it would not be easy, because Pieters held his own and made a magnificent 18. A long putt did not enter and did not add ‘eagle’, but his ‘birdie’ served to force the playoff.
There, the story changed. Haotong Li watched his sports career turn around many months later. Saving the tragedy, because his third shot was a horrific long putt. His hand slipped away and I sold his options. But fate awaited him. He had to move from afar and goal with his short gameeither. Pieters, then, collapsed.
The Belgian could not finish with his ‘birdie’ putt and gave away the crown to the Chinese. Tears, arms raised… And a message. “It’s fucking golf,” said Haotong Li. He triumphed in Germany and scored a victory that justifies a whole year of suffering. Sport stuff.
Larrazbal, fifth, best ‘insurgent’ and ticket to St. Andrews
Far from the fight for victory, but showing his level of 2022 by being fifth, Pablo Larrazbal repeated Sunday with a lot of character. He never got to be in the winning pools and fell beyond the top-10 but his immense holes 16, 17 and 18 from the green they placed him among the best when signing a Sunday of -5 and a total of -17. A position that gives the ticket to The Open. Being in St Andrews.
In addition, in a curious way, he was also ranked as the best of the ‘insurgents’ at LIV Golf. Oosthuizen was for a good part of the day, but ended up disappearing. It should be remembered that the Spaniard was 13th at the London Invitational and that he is punished -without the Scottish Open or Barracuda- by the European Tour. The other Spaniards of the LIV were very far from adding a good position. Sergio García finished tied at 48 with -8 and Adrin Otaegui with -5 and tied with 58. The three, yes, also finished a stage. At the moment, they cannot return to the European Tour after being linked to the series with Saudi capital.
among the usual of the DP World Tour, Jorge Campillo was the best after Larrazbal, sharing 13th place with Thomas Detry and sign a -13 in the Club House.
