Big names Rose and Reed fail to fire at Hong Kong Open but hope to be back next year
It was a frustrating week for many of the marquee players at Fanling
The big names failed to fire at Fanling. Patrick Reed had a one-word summary of his week in Hong Kong that could have sufficed for the rest: “rough”.
Defending champion Justin Rose, hampered with a back injury, at least made the cut, but a title defence was never on the cards. He finished on one-under (70-69-70-69).
Reed shot 11-under for third place on his first visit to Hong Kong last year, but never got going this year, posting his first below-par round at the final attempt to also finish one-under (70-70-70-69).
Four-time champion Miguel Angel Jimenez was +3, getting steadily worse on a course he loves (69-68-72-73). The normally amiable Spaniard walked off without speaking to the media.
Ian Poulter, another ex-champion, had a disastrous week, rowing with a cameraman and people on Twitter, and finishing almost bottom of those who made the cut with +5 (68-72-71-74). The normally non-amiable Englishman walked off with two words for the media: a “disappointing” week, and “yes” a frustrating year.
The sponsors may not have been pleased as their marquee names struggled, though the packed galleries seemed content enough.