Shenzhen International 2015: Daily Leaderboard Analysis, Highlights and More
The Genzon Golf Club played host to the first-ever Shenzhen International and a clutch of classy players from across the globe looked to reign supreme in the inaugural running of the event.
Eventually it was Kiradech Aphibarnrat who took the title, winning a play-off against Chinese starlet Hao-tong Li after a dramatic sequence of closing holes.
Read on for updates and analysis from what was an engrossing four days of golf.
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Day 4 Recap
A stunning final day at the Shenzhen International saw Kiradech Aphibarnrat triumph in a play-off against Hao-tong Li, with both men finishing on 12 under par in regulation play.
The result was confirmed by the European Tour Twitter account:
Li seemed to have this one sewn up after an excellent round of five under par put him clear of the field. But after struggling for the vast majority of the day, Aphibarnrat produced a stunning eagle at 17 to draw level with the home favourite and actually missing a putt to win the title on 18.
Here’s how the action played out on a phenomenal final day in China.
| T1 | Kiradech Aphibarnrat* | -12 | 72 |
| T1 | Hao-tong Li | -12 | 67 |
| 3 | Tommy Fleetwood | -11 | 69 |
| T4 | Julien Quesne | -10 | 65 |
| T4 | Marco Crespi | -10 | 67 |
| T4 | Wen-yi Huang | -10 | 68 |
| T4 | David Howell | -10 | 68 |
| T4 | Tom Lewis | -10 | 69 |
| T4 | Y.E Yang | -10 | 69 |
| T4 | Peter Uihlein | -10 | 72 |
*Denotes winner via playoff.
Be sure to check out the full leaderboard via the European Tour website.
After losing momentum at the end of Day 3, Aphibarnrat’s lead over the field looked to be there to be shot at. And after a disappointing opening eight holes—which saw the Thai drop two shots—it quickly became apparent that this championship was there for the taking.
As such, we were treated to some stunning rounds of golf. Alvaro Quiros shot the low round of the day, surging up the leaderboard with a remarkable nine under par 63, while Frenchman Julien Quesne gave himself a chance of glory, shooting seven under for the day and finishing up on 10 under for the championship.
Pablo Larrazabal was also in the lead at one stage and, as we can see here, luck seemed to be on the side of the Spaniard:
But none of the aforementioned stars could sustain their charges, paving the way for Li to push on. The 19-year-old—who was roared on by a vociferous home crowd throughout the day—struck five birdies on the back nine, including one at the 17th to move two shots clear of the field after this stunning approach:
In the clubhouse at 12 under for the championship, it was going to take something special from the chasing pack to prevent the teenager sampling glory. But after grinding his way through the back nine, Aphibarnrat conjured up a moment of incredible quality to keep his chances alive.
The Thai hit a stunning second shot into the green on the par 5 17th, before rolling in an eagle putt. He even had a chance to win the tournament in regulation play after nailing an approach to within 15 feet of the final green from this awkward lie:
But his putt slipped by, prompting cheers from the Chinese crowd and a play-off between the co-leaders.
They went back to the 18th tee and perhaps a little overawed by the occasion, Li struggled to control his second shot; by contrast Aphibarnrat played superbly, giving himself a very similar putt to the one he missed just minutes earlier to win the title. This time he made no mistake, punching the air with delight and probably a tinge of relief too.
The Thai player was superb for the opening three days, playing with unrelenting consistency and stunning control. Under the pressure of leading, his game did toil a little in his fourth round, but when it came to the crunch, Aphibarnrat produced some stunning bits of play to get over the line.
Day 3 Recap
Thai star Kiradech Aphibarnrat surged to the top of the Shenzen International leaderboard on Saturday, after a four-under-par round of 68 saw him leapfrog Peter Uihlein into first place.
While that may seem a fruitful day at the office for Aphibarnrat, it could well have been so much better, as three dropped shots on the closing two holes saw his six-shot lead cut to just two over the American.
That sets up a mouth-watering Sunday—even more so with the crowded chasing pack behind the front runners. Here’s a look at the Day 3 leaderboard:
| Position | Player | To Par | Saturday's Round |
| 1 | Kiradech Aphibarnrat | -12 | 68 |
| 2 | Peter Uihlein | -10 | 71 |
| 3 | Pablo Larrazabal | -9 | 65 |
| T4 | Emiliano Grillo | -8 | 70 |
| T4 | Matt Ford | -8 | 70 |
| T4 | Tommy Fleetwood | -8 | 69 |
| T4 | Scott Hend | -8 | 68 |
| T8 | Kristoffer Broberg | -7 | 67 |
| T8 | Darren Fichardt | -7 | 71 |
| T8 | Y. E. Yang | -7 | 66 |
| T8 | Tom Lewis | -7 | 66 |
| T8 | Hao-tong Li | -7 | 65 |
Be sure to check out the full leaderboard via the European Tour website.
If the golfing Gods had come to Aphibarnrat before Round 3 of the Shenzen International and offered him a four-under round of 68, he’d have bitten their celestial hands off.
As it is, though, the Thai will be cursing his luck after a double bogey seven on the par-five 17th and another bogey on the 18th polluted his otherwise exceptional card.
Aphibarnrat started the day one shot back of Uihlein on eight under, but three consecutive birdies on the opening holes soon propelled him to the top of the tree.
He wasn’t finished there, though, as he added six more birdies in his next 10 holes despite dropping shots on the fifth and seventh.
So, standing on the 14th tee, Aphibarnrat had carded just two pars all day, with nine birdies putting him 15 under for the tournament.
It was all looking rosy for the 25-year-old at that point, as European Tour revealed, but it wasn’t long before it all came tumbling down.
Dismal putting was the main reason behind Aphibarnrat’s demise on the last two holes, with Uihlein carding a birdie on the 17th to really rub salt into the wounds.
And the Thai wasn’t in the highest of spirits when reflecting on his day to European Tour, saying that a lapse in concentration cost him dearly:
"I've been striking the ball so well in the first three rounds. It’s a good way to start. First, I made three straight birdies to jump up at the top. I was still hitting the ball great on the back. Then I made a big mistake on last two holes, not the way to finish. I lost the focus on the short putt on 17. That is the big turn, the big key for me after Peter made birdie, and we swung three shots on that. That's a big move. But I made a mistake and I lost some concentration.
"
Uihlein, then, will be full of confidence heading into Sunday despite only managing a one-under-par 71 in Round 3, with bogeys littering his card.
A further shot back of the young American is Pablo Larrazabal, who carded the joint-low round of the day with a seven-under 65.
Eight birdies and one bogey put the Spaniard on nine under for the tournament and right into contention for Sunday, with his birdie putt on the par-three 12th summing up his day—per European Tour:
The man expressed his happiness after the round via Twitter, but admitted it could have been a lot better had he played the par fives a little better:
Still, his form will provide ample encouragement going into the final round, where another low score could well see him lift the inaugural trophy.
Elsewhere, headline act Bubba Watson endured a disappointing day and was forced to sign for a two-over-par 74.
The two-time Masters champion could only register one birdie on his card, with wayward tee shots costing him at the vital moments—per European Tour:
So, it was one of those ‘what could have been’ days all round on Sunday, and although Aphibarnrat is out in front by shots, this tournament is far from over.
Any one of the congested chasing pack can put together and strong round and knock the Thai from his perch, while you get the sense that Uihlein is ready to pounce.
Either way, Sunday’s play is bound to be thrilling.
Day 2 Recap
American Peter Uihlein holds a one-shot lead over Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat after the second day of action at the Shenzhen International on Friday.
Uilhein complemented his opening-day 67 with an impressive 68 to move to nine-under par, while Aphibarnrat's 69 moved him to eight under ahead of the weekend's action.
Emiliano Grillo shot the round of the day to move into third place on six under, and he is joined by Matt Ford, Gregory Havret and Darren Fichardt.
Here is the leaderboard after Day 2's action in China.
| Position | Player | To Par | Round 2 Score |
| 1 | Peter Uihlein | -9 | 68 |
| 2 | Kiradech Aphibarnrat | -8 | 69 |
| T3 | Emiliano Grillo | -6 | 67 |
| T3 | Matt Ford | -6 | 69 |
| T3 | Darren Fichardt | -6 | 70 |
| T3 | Gregory Havret | -6 | 68 |
| T7 | Marco Crespi | -5 | 70 |
| T7 | Tommy Fleetwood | -5 | 69 |
| T7 | Matteo Manassero | -5 | 70 |
| T7 | Lucas Bjerregaard | -5 | 67 |
Be sure to check out the full leaderboard via the European Tour website.
Uilhein claimed his narrow lead with a birdie four at the 10th, his final hole of the day. Four more birdies and just the one bogey on 15 contributed to a fine display from the American.
The 25-year-old admitted to finding it tough in the swirling wind, but was clearly happy with his day's work, per the European Tour:
"It was tricky today. The wind was swirling quite a bit. I got the back nine out of the way pretty quickly. I played very solid. I felt like getting anything under par on the back nine was nice, and I played a pretty stress free front nine which is always good.
"
Aphibarnrat matched Uilhein's five birdies on Friday, but the Thai player's two bogeys at eight and 12 leave him one shot back after the pair both impressed with 67s on Thursday.
Four of Aphibarnrat's birdies came on the front nine on Friday, his two at the third particularly impressive after he holed a huge putt on the par three.
Argentina's Grillo shot an impressive five-under 67 to move up the leaderboard into a tie for third.
He was one over for his round after eight holes, but six birdies in 10 holes—coming on nine, 11, 14, 15, 17 and 18—turned things around, and he is now in serious contention heading into the weekend.
Thursday's overnight leader, China's Wen-yi Huang, shot a 74, a triple-bogey seven on 15 an unpleasant blot on a decent second round.
World No. 4 Bubba Watson had a mixed day, dropping back to level par for the tournament after a two-over round of 74.
The two-time Masters champion scored three bogeys on the front nine, before finally picking up a birdie on 10, per the European Tour:
Another two birdies were forthcoming, but so were another two bogeys, and Watson goes into the weekend some way off the pace.
Northern Irishman Michael Hoey and England's Chris Wood both finished Friday at one-over par, just inside the two-over cut line:
There is certainly a lot of quality in the field for the weekend, and it is set to be an exciting finale with Uihlein still in reach for much of the chasing competition.
If he can continue his fine play from the first two day's of action, he will be difficult to beat, but the pressure may show as the finish line draws near.
Day 1 Recap
Home crowd favourite Wen-yi Huang tops the leaderboard after the first round in Shenzhen, shooting a superb six-under par round of 66.
The Chinese star struck eight birdies on his way around the Genzon course, seizing his opportunity to edge in front with a three at the par-four 18th. But there are a quartet of players in hot pursuit, with Peter Uihlein, Byeong Hun An, Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Felipe Aguilar just a shot back.
Here’s a look at the leaderboard after the opening-day’s play and a closer examination of the action from the first day of tournament.
| 1. | Wen-yi Huang | -6 | 66 |
| T2. | Peter Uihlein | -5 | 67 |
| T2. | Byeong Hun An | -5 | 67 |
| T2. | Kiradech Aphibarnrat | -5 | 67 |
| T2. | Felipe Aguilar | -5 | 67 |
| 6. | Darren Fichardt | -4 | 68 |
| T7. | Ross Fisher | -3 | 69 |
| T7. | Romain Wattell | -3 | 69 |
| T7. | Anthony Wall | -3 | 69 |
| T7. | Garth Mulroy | -3 | 69 |
Be sure to check out the full leaderboard via the European Tour website.
Anticipation was palpable ahead of the first-ever day of competitive play at this competition, with the Genzon course bristling with expectation.
Some of the excitement was stirred by the appearance of world No. 4 Bubba Watson, who gave us all an insight into the picturesque surroundings the players can enjoy this week:
The big-hitting left-hander is the standout player in the field and naturally attracted the majority of the crowds as he bludgeoned his way around the course. While some of the problems that hampered his defence of the green jacket last weekend—most notably, some erratic putting—were still pertinent, Watson will have been happy enough with a solid opening 70.
As we can see here courtesy of the European Tour Twitter account, the American was a man in demand after signing off his card for the day:
Watson may have been the most sought after player on and off the course, but the star player was undeniably Huang. While his round was blemished by a couple of bogeys, he was supremely clinical on the greens and sits deservedly one shot clear of the rest of the field.
The challenge for Huang—who has never won on the European Tour—will be preserving the levels he showcased on Day 1 throughout the week, especially with the calibre of players just a shot back, plenty of whom showed their talent on Day 1.
As we can see here, Uihlein is a player who seemed to get better as the day went on:
The American went through the first half of the course in level par, but the second half of his round was simply stunning. The manner in which he finished his round will serve as superb momentum as he gears up for Day 2 too.
After a turbulent build-up to the competition, Uihlein admitted he was delighted with his display, per the European Tour’s official website:
"Nice three in a row and four of the last five. I’m definitely pleased.
I played Thailand, and had to withdraw with food poisoning, then played one in Puerto Rico, and then I had a wrist injury and had to take some time off. Then I switched coaches, so I’ve had a strange six weeks or so.
I feel like I did a lot of things really, really well and I felt like I did some of my old habits and hit a couple squirrelers, but I'm pleased with five under, for sure.
"
Also a stroke back is An after he also shot a superb 67. The man from the Korea Republic produced the moment of the day too, shooting an ace at the eighth:
Aphibarnrat and Aguilar also proved their quality with tidy rounds and will fancy their chances of reigning in the Chinese star over the next three days.
Andy Sullivan is also well placed and after enjoying an exceptional start to 2015, will be confident of getting in amongst the leaders after a composed opening round of 68.
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