SHANGHAI – Even with two majors, five victories, a FedEx Cup title and over $22 million in earnings this year, Jordan Spieth offered an honest appraisal about the final World Golf Championship of the year. He really didn’t think he would have much of a chance in the HSBC Champions.

Now he does.

The third round at Sheshan International ended Saturday in the dark with Kevin Kisner holding a one-shot lead, Russell Knox choosing to return Sunday morning to finish the round and see if he could tie him, Dustin Johnson playing mistake-free to pull within one shot, and Li Haotong giving China hope that one of its own could win on a world stage.

And then there was Spieth, right where he has been so much of the year.

“My theory on the tour and trying to win is your lead is never safe because some guy is going to make birdies,” Kisner said after a 2-under 70. “Look at Jordan today. His name popped up. I don’t even know where he started and he was on the leaderboard.”

Some 24 hours earlier, Spieth was 12 shots behind and wondering he could even make another par. He ended Friday with two birdies, and then raced up the leaderboard in soft conditions Saturday with a 9-under 63 to go from the middle of the pack to three shots behind.

“This will be the first and only time I would say this, but I was not expecting myself to be in this position come Sunday when the week started,” Spieth said with a smile. “I came in with very little confidence in my trust of what I’m trying to do in my swing. … But yeah, I’m extremely pleased just to be in contention.”

Finishing it off doesn’t figure to be easy.

Kisner chipped in for birdie on the 15th hole to go from a two-shot deficit to a tie for the lead when Knox three-putted for bogey, and the 31-year-old American pulled ahead with a birdie on the 16th and two pars to finish at 16-under 200.

Johnson, who won the HSBC Champions the last time he was here two years ago, has made 10 birdies in his last 21 holes and shot a 65. Li wasted no time getting the Chinese gallery fired up when he opened with four straight birdies on his way to a 66.

“It’s going to be a dog fight tomorrow no matter what,” Kisner said.

Spieth felt he was struggling to avoid his club face being shut during the final month of the PGA Tour season, and he has been working on a fix that is difficult for him. But he found a swing thought on the practice range Saturday morning and hit the ball so well that he shot 63 despite missing four putts inside 10 feet.

“I’m not going to complain about the round, but I felt like the way I played could have been 10 or 11 (under) for sure,” Spieth said.

He finished with a bold move. Spieth had 239 yards to the hole, which required a precise carry over the water, on the par-5 18th. He could get there with a 3-iron if he flushed it, so caddie Michael Greller suggested he play it safe.

“Michael said, ‘It’s a bad number. Let’s lay up and make birdie with a wedge,’ Spieth said. “I said, ‘I’m not laying up from 239. So I hit a 3-wood and aimed 30 yards left of the green with a big cut. I cut it a little too much. I was trying to get in the middle of the green, and it went further right and closer to the hole.”

He missed the eagle putt from 15 feet, typical of his round. He still had another chance to win, typical of his year.

Knox birdied his opening three holes and built a two-shot lead with a birdie on the 11th. But he three-putted the 15th, narrowly avoided another bogey on No. 16 by making an 8-foot putt and missed on a short birdie attempt on the 17th. With the option to finish in the dark – as Kisner and Branden Grace did – Knox chose to wait.

Li might have wished for this day to never end.

China’s brightest young star, he played the PGA Tour China series last year and earned Web.com Tour status, and he was in range to earn a PGA Tour card this year until fading late in the season. Playing before a home crowd – he grew up in Shanghai and plays out of Lake Malaren, home of next week’s BMW Masters – he prepared Friday night to cope with the stress and pressure and turned it into the most fun he’s had on a golf course.

“I never thought I could play that good,” Li said. “Can’t believe it.”

Liang Wenchong, who tied for eighth in the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, is the only other Chinese player to finish in the top 10 in a PGA Tour event. Even though Li is only one shot behind, he kept his goal modest. He wants to finish in the top 10.

Can he win?

In an press conference in Chinese, Li answered in English with a big laugh.

“I don’t think so,” he said.

Patrick Reed (68) and Ross Fisher (65) joined Spieth at 13-under 203, with Grace playing the final three holes in 3 under for a 70. He was four shots behind. Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler each shot 68 and were eight shots behind.

SHANGHAI – Two par saves in the middle of his round and two birdies at the end put Kevin Kisner in a place he has never been.

And that has nothing to do with his first trip to China.

Kisner put together another bogey-free performance Friday in the HSBC Champions for a 6-under 66 and a two-shot lead over Russell Knox going into the weekend of the World Golf Championship. He was at 14-under 130, the lowest 36-hole score of his career, and he was the 36-hole leader for the first time in his career.

It was more than Kisner expected at Sheshan International, mainly because he didn’t have any expectations.

A sore back kept the 31-year-old American from seeing the golf course until he teed it up in the opening round on Thursday. He was so lost that walking off the eighth green, he wasn’t sure how to get to the next hole. None of that seemed to matter.

“It’s just golf, man,” Kisner said. “Doesn’t matter if it was here or wherever. Still get the ball in the hole as fast as you can.”

That proved far more difficult Friday than in the opening round, mainly because the still, soft conditions gave way to a strong wind that never relented. Kisner twice saved par, with a 20-foot putt on the par-3 fourth and a 15-foot putt on the par-4 15th hole.

Only 16 players shot in the 60s on Friday, compared with 41 in the opening round.

Knox started his round with a 40-foot birdie putt that set the tone for the day. He wound up with the low round of the day at 7-under 65, leaving him two shots behind Kisner and with his own tale about being a little unprepared for his first World Golf Championship.

Knox only found out last week in Malaysia that he was in the HSBC Champions when J.B. Holmes withdrew. That was the good news. The problem was getting a visa for China, so wife Andrea came to rescue – twice. First, she filled out all his forms while he played the CIMB Classic and arranged for the meeting with the Chinese consulate in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. Then, she filled in as a caddie for his practice round at Sheshan because Knox’s caddie took an extra day to arrange for his visa.

“My wife was a superstar,” Knox said.

One job apparently was easier than the other.

“We got a stand bag from the pro here and played the quickest practice round ever, and she complained heavily for the last nine holes,” he said with a laugh. “But it was nice to run around quickly, so I did get to see the course. My caddie did not, so I told him what we were going to do.”

The top two players on the leaderboard going into the weekend have never won on the PGA Tour, and both know so much can change over the next two days. Even so, Kisner’s solid play has created a little bit of separation.

Branden Grace of South Africa, who opened with a 63, added three birdies through 10 holes until he forced the issue trying to get further ahead and wound up playing the final eight holes in 2 over. He had to settle for a 71 and was four shots behind.

The buzz came from Li Haotong of China, who spent the afternoon chasing the lead and thrilling the hometown gallery. A bogey on the final hole gave him a 69, and he joined Patrick Reed (70) at 9-under 135.

Li played the PGA Tour China series last year and had a chance midway through the Web.com Tour season to earn a PGA Tour card until fading. Playing at home in a World Golf Championship, he enjoyed the moment – especially seeing his name on the leaderboard.

“Almost every hole,” Li said with a big smile. “Very cool. Very fun.”

It wasn’t a lot of fun for some of the biggest names.

Jordan Spieth missed a few good opportunities at the turn, and then ran off three straight bogeys and wondered if he would make another par. He salvaged his day with birdies on the final two par 5s for a 72, though he was 10 shots behind.

“When I get into the breeze, I hit some shots that I was very shocked with today,” he said. “But I lost a lot of focus there, too. I felt like I was very lazy in my routine, very lazy in picking targets. And it bit me with three unforced errors in a row on the back nine there. But I am pleased with the way that we did rebound, because it looked like I could have just bogeyed in.”

Rory McIlroy winced on the range as he felt cramps in his stomach from food poisoning earlier in the week. He wasted a decent start by playing the last six holes in 2 over for a 72 and joined Spieth at 4-under 140. Dustin Johnson looked like he would throw away his round with three straight bogeys around the turn, only to steady himself and finish with three straight birdies for a 71. He was six behind.

Kisner is coming off a breakthrough season on the PGA Tour without winning, though he sure had his chances. Jim Furyk beat him with a birdie on the second extra hole at the RBC Heritage. Kisner went blow-for-blow with Rickie Fowler in The Players Championship until Fowler beat him a birdie on the fourth playoff hole. Kisner also got into a four-man playoff at The Greenbrier Classic that Danny Lee ended up winning.

“See if I can get it done in regulation this time,” he said.

Canada’s Richard T. Lee is tied for 27th at 4 under.

SHANGHAI – Rory McIlroy finally climbed out of bed 10 pounds lighter from a bout of food poisoning and made six birdies for a 68. Jordan Spieth returned from his longest break without touching his golf clubs. He also had six birdies in a round of 68. Both felt good about their start Thursday in the HSBC Champions.

It just wasn’t enough to be anywhere near the lead.

Branden Grace of South Africa, a month removed from his sterling performance in the Presidents Cup, made birdie on half of his holes at soft, vulnerable Sheshan International for a 9-under 63. It was the lowest opening round in the 11-year history of this World Golf Championship.

And all that got him was a one-shot lead.

“Today was phenomenal out there,” Grace said. “Barely had a breath of wind out there and the golf course is playing probably as easy as it could be playing. There’s some low scores out there. The guys are playing some great golf, and when you play on greens like this, it helps. You just have to get the ball on the right line and it goes in. It was fun.”

He made it sound simple, and the numbers backed him up.

The 78-man field produced 344 birdies and nine eagles, and it was a collective 189-under par.

Kevin Kisner made his debut in China by playing bogey-free for a 64. He was joined by Steven Bowditch of Australia and Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark, who opened with five birdies in six holes and was 7 under through 10 holes. It was enough to make Olesen wonder how low he could go, though that ended when he made a sloppy bogey on the par-5 14th and he had to settle for a 64.

Dustin Johnson, who won the HSBC Champions the last time he was here two years ago, drilled a 3-wood over the water and onto the green at the par-5 second hole and made eagle that helped send him to a 65 along with Patrick Reed and Danny Willett, who is No. 2 in the Race to Dubai in his bid to track down McIlroy.

At least McIlroy is playing.

He spent most of the previous two days in bed trying to cope with food poisoning. His stomach was so sore and his body so stiff that he arrived earlier than usual to get loose on the range, and he wasn’t sure what to expect when he teed it up at Sheshan for the first time in two years.

“Probably a little better than I was expecting out there, to be honest,” McIlroy said. “I had not been out of bed for basically 48 hours, so I was really stiff. But whenever I got out there, I felt pretty good. Thankfully, it was a decent start, and now going to try to just get into the tournament.”

Spieth wasn’t sure what to expect, either.

He didn’t see his golf clubs for two weeks after returning home from South Korea at the Presidents Cup, the end of a season that brought a Masters and U.S. Open, the FedEx Cup and PGA Tour player of the year. Spieth showed some uncertainty with an extra waggle in his pre-shot routine as he tries to keep the club from getting shut.

For the most part, it worked out fine. The one big miss was his tee shot on the par-3 17th, so weak and to the right that it didn’t even clear the hazard. Spieth recovered by going to the drop zone, hitting over the gorge to 5 feet and escaping with bogey. He also hit driver to 20 feet for a two-putt birdie on the reachable 16th, and two late birdies in his round brought him to 68.

“I hit some shots that looked like we were just continuing the end of the season,” Spieth said. “And I hit some that looked like I took some time off. It was a bit of both. All in all, I was very pleased. Obviously, I thought 4 under would be further up the leaderboard than it is, but there’s a lot of guys playing solid golf right now.”

Spieth played with Watson, who hardly played at all since the Presidents Cup and said nothing felt comfortable. He celebrated his 37th birthday by opening with eight straight pars, picking up four birdies and keeping bogeys off his card.

Players were allowed to lift, clean and place their balls in the short grass, which added to the low scores. That led to a two-shot penalty for Adam Scott, however, who chipped to tap-in range on the par-3 sixth, only to look back and realize he might have been in the rough. That’s a two-shot penalty, except that Scott was given the wrong ruling by being told to replay the shot. After a 30-minute discussion, officials found a decision based on equity that kept his score to a double bogey. It didn’t help much. He shot 75.

At this rate, Johnson figures something around 20 under will win. Grace wasn’t willing to guess on a winning score. For all those birdies, he still was barely in front.

“Long way to go,” Grace said.

If you ask Keith Pelley, the new Chief Executive of the European Tour, what his biggest adjustment has been since taking over the role after five years as the President of Rogers Media, the answer is simple: the driving.

No, not the big swing from the first tee at Wentworth Club – where both his office and his home is located, but the actual driving of his car around the streets of Surrey, England.

“I was taking my boy (Pelley has a 12-year-old son, Jason, and a 8-year-old daughter, Hope) to hockey and the GPS said to take the third exit, but I couldn’t get to the third exit. I’m going around the roundabout three times before I can get off,” Pelley exclaims, his voice rising and then turning into a hearty chuckle.

The 51-year-old has been at the helm of the largest professional golf Tour outside of North America for just over three months now, after taking over for George O’Grady, who was the Chief Executive for 10 years. Pelley recently had lunch with John Jacobs, who started the European Tour in 1972. He says Jacobs, who was a well-celebrated golf instructor and is now 90, was trying to change Pelley’s grip as their meal was finishing.

“I couldn’t be happier,” Pelley says. “It’s always been a lifelong dream to work in the golf business and work with a brand that has such a rich history. It’s an opportunity to combine business and sport, and one of the sports I love.”

Pelley’s stock was at an all-time high after he helped to negotiate the biggest television rights deal in Canadian history – the well-publicized NHL deal worth $5.2 billion – that is in its second of 12 years. According to SCOREGolf, Pelley first interviewed with the board of directors at the European Tour via Skype, and then was flown to England for a weekend of interviews and a presentation.

Pelley became a well-known sports media figure through the late 1990s as the President of TSN. In the early 2000s he was the CEO of the Toronto Argonauts, helping to lead them to victory at the 2004 Grey Cup. After that, he had a successful stint as the President of Canada’s Olympic broadcast media consortium, and then became President of Rogers Media in 2010.

“I loved my role at Rogers and I had an enormous respect for the whole Rogers family (Pelley then goes on to list each of the family members by name). My five years could not have been better,” he explains. “It was very difficult to leave Gary Bettman and the NHL deal – which was obviously very historical and one I was very proud of.”

But like many golfers, he had a desire to work in the game he loves. It was one of those jobs, he says, that comes along once-in-a-career.

“I love golf, and my family was certainly up for an adventure,” Pelley says. “The timing was right with the age of my kids and at the end, it was a very tough decision. I knew it was going to take something special for me to leave, and this was in fact just that.”

Pelley has had an interesting start to his tenure, as the Tour appears to be at a crossroads.

He has already granted Rory McIlroy – arguably the Tour’s biggest star – a special condition to participate in the season-ending Race to Dubai (due to the injury he suffered earlier this summer), and was in the news recently when Rich Beem withdrew from the Hong Kong Open in order for Ian Poulter to take his spot and play the mandatory 13 events needed in order to qualify for the European Ryder Cup team.

“For a professional golfer like Rich Beem to do what he did was terrific. It shows the class and maturity […] and Ian has done everything he possibly can to get there,” explains Pelley.

Through it all, Pelley recognizes the athletes and their characters are what make the Tour so successful.

“You’re dealing with the likes of Rory and Ian and Justin (Rose) and Shane (Lowry) and their personalities is one of our Tour’s main strengths. Over five weeks, we had winners from five different countries,” Pelley says. “Our players are our recipe for success.”

“This is a membership organization. The feedback and the dialogue we’ve had about growing it has been great, and (the players) are going to be a part of it,” he continues.

There are four events left in the European Tour’s schedule, including the WGC-HSBC Champions. Prior to that tournament, Pelley will be in Shanghai on a panel with industry heavy-hitters like PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan, and Rickie Fowler, talking about the global game and a little bit more about 2016.

Pelley admits there will be some changes to the Tour next year, but says he is looking more long term than short term.

“Those plans we have from a long-term perspective will be articulated to the general public and players in due course,” he explains. “We have a strategy we’re working through, and are excited to execute in 2016.”

While adjusting to life across the pond (including the roads), and aggressively developing a go-forward business plan for the Tour, Pelley has also enjoyed working with his new colleagues immensely.

During the Blue Jays magical playoff run, he convinced his staff to become fans of the team. Even with the time difference, he couldn’t let go of the love he has for the blue birds.

“After we clinched, I sent John Gibbons a note and it came back to me about 15 minutes later. I saw it was five in the morning,” he says, laughing. “I thought, ‘What was I doing?’”

With the Jays out of the playoffs, Pelley’s focus remains solely on the task at hand: leading the European Tour through 2016 and beyond.

He’s learning something new every day, he says. Including the best way to get through those pesky roundabouts.

SHANGHAI – The European Tour is contemplating what amounts to a level playing field for those who want to be considered global players.

Typically, being a member of the two largest tours in golf requires a top 50 world ranking. That effectively assures the player of getting into the four majors and four World Golf Championships, which would be more than half of the minimum starts required on the PGA Tour (15) and European Tour (13).

That’s a significant issue facing new European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley.

Pelley has spent the majority of his three months on the job talking to players of every level to figure out what works for them globally and what strengthens the European Tour. One solution under consideration is to lower the minimum requirement to five – provided that doesn’t include the majors and the WGCs.

That would make the requirement the same for someone like Justin Rose (No. 6 in the world) and Luke Donald. A former world No. 1, Donald fell out of the top 50 in May. He played all four majors, but only because he qualified for the U.S. Open and British Open. But he was not eligible for three of the WGCs.

“We’re evaluating and looking at that,” Pelley said. “Have we made a definitive decision? No. Will I give a bit more context in Dubai? The answer is yes. And that’s where we are. I’ve talked to a lot of players. Everybody has a different feeling. Some want to play on both tours that are not on an elite level. And if they’re not qualifying for the WGCs, they’re playing 33 to 34 events to play on two tours.”

The main incentive for keeping European Tour membership is being eligible for the Ryder Cup.

Ian Poulter thought he was about to lose his membership when he fell out of the top 50 and was no longer eligible for the HSBC Champions. He flew to Hong Kong and was helped immensely by Rich Beem giving up his spot in the Hong Kong Open. As it turned out, Poulter got into the HSBC Champions as an alternate.

“What I am finding, which is consistent with all of them whether that’s Ian Poulter, Luke Donald or Graeme McDowell, is they all want to be part of the process as we look to make some changes in the tour,” Pelley said. “They all want to embrace it. They have an unwavering desire for the tour to flourish.”

On his end, Pelley said it would be important to increase prize money to make it worthwhile for Europeans to play a little more often. But he sees no harm in making it easier for Europeans to follow the money to America and the PGA Tour.

“They’re no longer European Tour players or PGA Tour players,” Pelley said. “They’re global players.”

ANTALYA, Turkey – Victor Dubuisson of France made three late birdies to overtake Jaco Van Zyl and clinch his second Turkish Airlines Open title on Saturday, denying the South African a wire-to-wire victory.

Van Zyl had led from the opening round and was two shots ahead of Dubuisson after birdies on the 13th and 14th. But the Frenchman responded with three birdies on the last four holes for a 6-under 66 while Van Zyl finished with four pars for a 67. That gave Dubuisson a one-shot victory with a 22-under 266 total and a second career European Tour title.

Rory McIlroy was a shot behind the joint overnight leaders going into the round but only managed a 71 to drop to a tie for sixth at the first of four Final Series tournaments that award increased points totals toward the Race to Dubai.

Dubuisson broke down in tears when his final birdie putt sank on the 18th, having managed just two top-10 finishes this year going into the tournament. But he clearly enjoys playing in Turkey, where he also won his first career title in 2013.

“Sometimes you feel like your game is never going to come back and this week I realized that my whole game was here,” the Frenchman said. “I was really counting on this Final Series to give me some confidence back because I completely lost it a few months ago. I was just missing everything.”

Kiradesh Aphibarnrat of Thailand finished third, another shot behind Van Zyl. Kiradesh almost chipped in for an eagle on the 18th that would have forced a playoff but then missed his birdie putt as well to finish with a 67.

McIlroy increased his lead in the Race to Dubai standings to almost 400,000 points ahead of Danny Willett as he seeks his third title in four years.

“It’s always disappointing whenever you have a chance to win and you don’t play well enough to do that,” McIlroy said about his final round. “I’ll be going away from this tournament very disappointed with how I played today. But I’m still playing two more events this year and I feel like my game is good enough to give myself two opportunities to win again.”

ANTALYA, Turkey – Rory McIlroy shot a third straight 5-under 67 Saturday to move to within one stroke of the leaders after the third round of the Turkish Airlines Open.

Jaco van Zyl of South Africa maintained a share of the lead after a 70 to sit tied with Victor Dubuisson (67) on 16-under 200.

McIlroy dropped his first shots of the tournament with bogeys on Nos. 3 and 10 but also had five birdies and an eagle on the 13th.

“I feel if I play the same way and execute a little bit better, there’s definitely a lower score out there for me,” the four-time Major winner said.

Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat (66) shared third place with McIlroy.

ANTALYA, Turkey – Jaco van Zyl held on to the lead at the Turkish Airlines Open by shooting a 3-under 69 in the second round Friday despite struggling on the back nine.

Van Zyl shot a 61 in the first round and stretched his lead to as many as seven shots during the second round with five birdies on his first 10 holes. But he then found the water twice for his first two bogeys of the week, letting English duo Richard Bland and Chris Wood close within two shots of his 14-under total of 130.

“Surprisingly enough I was not too anxious out there,” said Van Zyl, who is looking for his first European Tour victory. “I really enjoyed the moment, took every shot as it came and every opportunity when it was there.”

Rory McIlroy shot a second straight 67 to sit four shots back in a tie for sixth, one stroke behind Victor Dubuisson and Fabrizio Zanotti.

“They’re as stress-free two 67s as I have shot all year,” said McIlroy, who has yet to drop a shot in the tournament. “I definitely feel like there’s a lot more to come.”

Bland started with nine straight pars before making seven birdies after the turn for a 65, while Wood’s 66 included seven birdies and a bogey.

“I thought I was playing all right and just not doing anything,” Bland said. “I couldn’t really get it close to the flag and then the back nine just kind of clicked, I holed a few putts and back in 28. Strange game.”

ANTALYA, Turkey – Jaco van Zyl made nine birdies and an eagle for an 11-under 61 Thursday to take a three-shot lead after the first round of the Turkish Airlines Open.

The South African’s eagle came on the par-5 11th hole and he then added five birdies on the last six holes for a score that would have been a course record if not for preferred lies being used.

“I played really nicely and honestly I thought four under par around here was a good score,” Van Zyl said. “I got it going early in the round and just kept it going. It was really good fun.”

Lee Westwood was second after a bogey-free 64, his lowest score in more than a year. Westwood made four straight birdies from the 14th but only picked up one shot on the five par-5s, which Van Zyl played in 6 under.

Westwood has slipped from No. 1 to 46th in the rankings after a disappointing season but said he feels like “something has finally clicked.”

“It’s stuff I’ve worked on before, but just a slightly different idea to give myself the same feeling as I got when I was playing well,” Westwood said. “I’m no spring chicken anymore. I’ve been training my hips to work in a certain way the last couple of years, but not playing very well and with not a great hip and leg action. I’m trying to train my way out of it now and get it back to where it was.”

Rory McIlroy made four birdies on his back nine and was in a group tied for fourth after a 67.

“I feel like my game came together a lot more on the back nine,” McIlroy said. “I was trying to find my rhythm for the first few holes and made a good par save on 18 which gave me some momentum going into the back nine, so overall I’m pretty pleased.”

HONG KONG – Justin Rose won his first European Tour title in 15 months Sunday, warding off a stubborn challenge from Lucas Bjerregaard of Denmark to win the Hong Kong Open by one shot.

The Englishman, who started the final round even with Bjerregaard on 15 under and a four-shot lead over the field, carded an impressive two-under-par 68 for a 17-under 263. It was his eighth career title on the European Tour.

“I’m very happy to get the job done. Last week I had a chance to win in Napa when I was tied for the lead but I let that one flitter away. I wanted to hang on to this one,” said Rose, the 2013 US Open champion whose last victory on the European Tour came at the 2014 Scottish Open.

“Lucas played incredible golf and I was thoroughly impressed. When you separate yourself from the field like we did, it’s probably a tough one for him to lose. But he didn’t lose it, it’s just that both of us played incredibly well,” added Rose, who has now won in every European Tour season dating back to 2012.

Bjerregaard’s attempt to win his first title was blown away at the 14th hole at the Hong Kong Golf Club when he made a double-bogey to let slip a one-stroke lead over Rose who then took over the lead by one.

Rose, 31, went two shots ahead at the 16th and despite a bogey at the final hole, only his third dropped shot all week, it was enough to ensure victory as the 24-year-old Bjerregaard failed to force a playoff and finished with 69 for a 16-under 264.

Bjerregaard, who had thrived on the back nine in the first three rounds collecting 15 birdies, failed to conjure up that same magic as he cracked under the pressure to make a bogey and a double bogey coming home.

Rose, however, showed his class and continued his remarkable knack for staying out of trouble with only two bogeys all day.

The last time Rose appeared at the Hong Kong Open, in 2011, he missed the cut but it was a very different scenario this week with the Englishman leading from the second round.

European Tour rookie Matt Fitzpatrick of England shot a final-round 69 to finish in a four-way tie for third with Lee Soo-min of South Korea (64), American Patrick Reed (67) and Australian Jason Scrivener (68) – all on 11 under and a massive seven shots behind Rose.

Indian youngster Anirban Lahiri who had started in second place, four shots behind, struggled to a 71 to finish tied for seventh. Also falling from contention was fellow-countryman Jeev Milka Singh who began five shots behind the leaders but could only finish with a four over 74 to be tied for 24th.