Ten months after almost quitting golf, Li Haotong sank a massive birdie putt to complete a playoff victory at the BMW International Open, his first win in more than four years.
Victory in Munich earned the 26-year-old Chinese star his third European Tour title and first since he edged out Rory McIlroy by a stroke at the Dubai Desert Classic in January 2018.
"No one knows how much I have gone through over the last couple of years," Li said. "Ten months ago I nearly decided to not play golf. I thought I couldn't play golf again.
"If someone told me 10 months ago I would win again, I wouldn't believe that. Through a lot of tough times, I realized how good that feeling is to play good again."
Li extended his overnight three-shot lead over Belgium's Thomas Pieters to five with three birdies in the first five holes in the final round, but a run of four bogeys over the next 10 holes allowed Pieters to draw level.
Li almost found the water on the first playoff hole but sank a monster birdie putt before Pieters rolled his effort just wide.
"Thomas played great all day. My putter wasn't as hot as yesterday. This is golf," Li said.
"Sometimes things go your way, sometimes not. I'm just so happy to finish on 18 like that.
"Somehow I thought that I would make that putt. I don't know how I made that stroke, how the ball went in the hole, because at the end of the day the greens were very bumpy. You just never know."
Li had led the tournament since a course record-equaling round of 10-under 62 on opening day. However, his closing two-under 70 was his worst of the tournament and Li looked like he might have blown his chance when a bogey on the 15th left him in a three-way tie with Pieters and Ryan Fox.
AGENCIES
Li Haotong won on the European Tour for the third time. AP
