CHASING HIS FIRST career win, American Rickie Fowler withstood the pressure of being hunted down by US Open champion Rory McIlroy to claim the Korea Open title on Sunday.
A final card of 68 was enough to seal a final tally of -16 and the tournament victory for 22-year-old Fowler – the first of his professional career – with McIlroy collecting a 64 to close the deficit to second place to six strokes.
Korean Kim Meen-Whee was third overall after a final round of 71 left him three shots adrift of the Holywood golfer, with another local favourite YE Yang fourth – two shots further back.
“It was a lot of fun. I played well early on in the final round and then I was comfortable over the last few holes. Overall, I enjoyed the week.”
McIlroy tweeted his congratulations to his rival, saying:
“I had a good finish, but it was not my best day,” he admitted afterwards. “I played quite nicely over the first few holes, but the pin positions were very tricky.”
Next up for McIlroy is the China Golf Challenge, which starts on Monday and will see him play courses in seven different Chinese cities over a seven-day period along with the likes of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Chinese number one Liang Wen-Chong.