Stunning win for Olazabal

Jose Maria Olazabal won his 20th European Tour title in amazing fashion with a sensational finish in the Omega Hong Kong Open at Fanling yesterday.

Olazabal was two shots behind with three to play but picked up birdies at the final three holes to pip Norway's Henrik Bjornstad to the £80,000 sterling first prize.

The 35-year-old holed from 15 feet on the 16th and 17th and then saved the best for last, firing a stunning second shot to within inches of the 18th hole for the winning birdie.

The Spaniard finished second last week in Taiwan, just a shot behind winner Jarmo Sandelin..

A closing round of 64 gave Olazabal a 22-under-par total of 262, one clear of Bjornstad with Australian Adam Scott a shot further back after a bogey on the final hole for the second day running. Dubliner Paul McGinley shot a final round 68 to finish 11 shots off the pace.

"It feels great," said Olazabal who moved into second on the Order of Merit after the first two counting events for the 2002 money list.

"It's fantastic to win again, especially the way it happened. When I was playing the 15th, two shots behind, my caddy Phil (Morbey) said we needed three birdies to finish and that is obviously very difficult.

"I managed to hole two big putts on the 16th and 17th and that opened the door for the victory and it was a magnificent shot on the 18th. I had 175 yards to go with a five iron but I had to hit it below some of the trees and didn't have much room to stop the ball on the green.

"It was well executed but you need to be lucky sometimes and it just caught the fringe of the green which killed the speed, and that's why it finished so close. It was a great shot but you need to be a little bit lucky."