Marco Penge secured his maiden DP World Tour title after signing for a closing 67 to win the 2025 Hainan Classic by three shots. The Englishman started the day in a share of the lead with home favourite Bowen Xiao but found himself one shot behind a charging Sean Crocker as he began the back nine on Sunday. Penge then produced a timely hat-trick of birdies at the 12th, 13th and 14th to race clear of the chasing pack and wrap up victory on his 47th Tour start. The 2023 HotelPlanner Tour Number One finished the tournament on 17 under par after making a total of seven birdies and two bogeys in the final round. American Crocker finished in a tie for second alongside Norway's Kristoffer Reitan on 14 under, with Dane Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen another shot further back. Penge, who secured his playing rights for this season with a nerveless display at the Genesis Championship in October last year, said: "This obviously means the world to me. "It's something that I've always dreamt of achieving - winning on the biggest stage. "After my time off (an enforced break during the winter) it was the thing that I wanted to really prove to myself and prove to everyone, to show what a player I am. "My caddie, through that time, has been my rock. And my wife and my whole team - I wouldn't be where I am without them. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." An emotional Penge added: "We spend a lot of time away from home. All of us lads are doing this for our wives, our families, our kids - to be able to say that I've won on the DP World Tour when my son's a little older and kind of be a hero to him... "I walked to the tee, I watched some videos of him laughing and smiling and it gave me a bit of that inner strength today." Penge also booked his ticket to the US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club after coming third on the Asian Swing standings. Keita Nakajima topped the Rankings after finishing in a tie for 11th at Mission Hills Resort Haikou, while Eugenio Chacarra was second and Penge third, with all three players now heading to the second Major Championship of the year next month.

A final round birdie blitz proved the difference for Wang Zixuan on Saturday as the rookie pro out-dueled overnight leader Lin Xin’en down the stretch to win the rain-delayed Golfjoy Women’s Open by a stroke in Guangdong province. After starting the day four shots off the lead, the 17-year-old Wang closed with a six-under 66, the best round of the tournament, for a 54-hole score of seven-under 209 to claim her maiden pro win. The victory was worth RMB75,000. Lin, who led the CLPG Tour tournament through the first two rounds, had to wait nearly an hour to make her birdie putt on the 18th green after play was stopped for a thunderstorm at the Leadbetter Course at Mission Hills Golf Club. When play resumed, she missed the 15-footer that would have forced a playoff, carding a one-under 71 to finish runner-up. Li Menghan closed with a two-under 70 to finish as the top amateur at four strokes back in equal third place with Cai Danlin (73). Pan Yanhong (70), Fang Shuanshuan (72) and He Jiaying (73) were equal fifth at six strokes off the pace. Wang, who turned pro last year, stumbled out the gate with a bogey five at the first hole. At the fifth hole, she made her first birdie and then picked up further strokes at the eighth and ninth holes to make the turn at two-under. Following birdies at holes 11 and 12, the teenager drew even with Lin at the 14th when she put her approach to within a foot of the hole for a tap-in birdie. With Lin shooting nine straight pars over the back nine, Wang went ahead for good on the par-five 17th where she sank a 20-foot putt to move to the top of the leaderboard. With the win, the Beijing native also receives a Golfjoy Spica 3 launch monitor valued at RMB37,888. “I watched Lin Xin’en from the clubhouse trying to make her final putt and honestly, I felt nothing about it. I wasn’t that nervous. I was prepared for a playoff. When she missed the putt, I was happy to achieve my first victory on the China LPGA Tour,” said Wang, who was second in Tianjin last year and runner-up to Ye Lei at the 2023 Women’s China Open. “Over the last two holes I told myself to be more daring and aggressive than last year. My goal for this tournament was to finish in the top 10, which would help me qualify for next week’s Mitsubishi event. I’m thrilled that I accomplished my mission.” Lin, who led the tournament by a stroke through 36 holes, lamented a missed opportunity to capture her maiden win. Her round included two birdies and a bogey, all coming on the front nine. “This is my first time to finish in the top 10. The road ahead is long with many more tournaments to come this year. My pro career is just beginning. Let’s wait and see,” said the Guangzhou native, a student at Shenzhen University. “Knowing I had a 15-foot birdie putt (at the last hole) I didn’t feel it as pressure, but more so as motivation. I tried to be aggressive with that putt, but I just didn’t execute it as well as I could have.” Li, who finished 17th at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship last week in Vietnam, rebounded from a 75 on Friday to close with two-under-par round featuring four birdies and two bogeys. “I feel like I could have a better score because I had a lot of birdie chances on the front nine. But I didn’t due to some careless mistakes. My mindset wasn’t good, either,” lamented the Weihai teenager. “This result could definitely have been better, but my putting really wasn’t up to par. There’s still room for me to improve.”   The Leadbetter Course at Mission Hills Golf Club Dongguan is a 6,368-yard, par-72 layout. Players are from mainland China unless indicated               * denotes amateur Golfjoy Women’s Open third round leading scores 209 – Wang Zixuan 71-72-66 210 – Lin Xin’en 67-72-71 213 – Li Menghan* 68-75-70, Cai Danlin 70-70-73 215 – Pan Yanhong 74-71-70, Fang Shuangshuang 73-70-72, He Jiaying 71-71-73 216 – Zeng Liqi 70-73-73 217 – Wang Zhixuan – 71-76-70, Punpaka Phuntumabamrung (THA) 72-73-72,           Parinda Phokan (THA) 72-72-73, Tang Rongze* 69-74-74,           Ornnicha Konsunthea (THA) 69-73-75 218 – Supamas Sangchan (THA) 74-71-73, Wannasiri Sirisampant (THA) 71-71-76 219 – Nemittra Juntanaket (THA) 74-76-69, Ng Jing Xuen (MAS) 77-71-71,           Chonlada Chayanun (THA) 74-73-72, Xue Zixuan 73-72-74,           Nanthikarn Raksachat (THA) 71-73-75 220 – Panitta Yusabai (THA) 76-73-71, Shi Yuli 76-72-72, Zhao Yihan 75-72-73,           Phisitkhwan Pooratanaopa (THA) 72-75-73, Pan Xingyi 73-73-74,           Senno Yasufuku (JPN) 72-74-74, Li Dongmei 71-73-76  

China’s Lin Xin En set the early pace during first-round play of the Golfjoy Women’s Open on Thursday as the rookie pro carded a five-under 67 for a one-shot lead in Guangdong province. Playing on the Leadbetter Course at Mission Hills Golf Club near the Hong Kong border, Li Menghan was second after a 68, a shot ahead of fellow amateur Tang Rongze and Thai Ornnicha Konsunthea at the RMB500,000 tournament, a new event on the CLPG Tour schedule.   Zeng Liqi, the 2022 Order of Merit winner, who is playing her home tour for the first time since the 2023 Women’s China Open, opened with a two-over 70 to sit equal fifth with Cai Danlin. Lin, who turned pro in September, took advantage of the calm conditions in her early morning round to card four birdies over the front nine. She then held steady over the back nine in picking up another stroke at the 389-yard 15th to complete her bogey-free round. “My approach shots were very good, which led to plenty of birdie chances within 15 feet. I made some of them, but missed some, too,” said the 18-year-old Guangzhou native, a student at Shenzhen University. “It’s nice that I didn’t make any bogeys. It’s been a long while since that last happened. I had a good bounce at the third hole leaving me a three-foot putt for birdie which I made. It’s a good start for me.” Coming off an equal 17th finish at last week’s Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific in Vietnam, Li started her round on the back nine where she reeled off three birdies through the first seven holes before making a bogey five at the 18th (her ninth). She then stumbled to another bogey at the first (her 10th hole) before recovering to post three consecutive birdies starting from the 510-yard sixth hole (her 15th hole). “I made two straight bogeys at the 18th hole and the first hole, which caused a bit of a rollercoaster in my emotions. These were two mistakes that shouldn’t have happened, especially the three-putt at the first hole,” said the national team member from Qingdao. “However, I re-set my mind and managed to bounce back with three birdies late in the round. It was still a decent round.” Tang also finished strongly with three consecutive birdies starting from the 15th hole after being even-par through the first 14 holes. “Today’s score looks decent, but I still feel like that my tee shots weren’t up to my expectations,” said the Shandong teenager. “The fairways are wider out there and the rough isn’t as thick, so there’s a higher margin for error. I hit 10 fairways today.” Zeng, who is playing on the Epson Tour development circuit in the U.S. this year after losing her playing card on the LPGA Tour, scored the lone eagle of the day when she made a three at the 501-yard second (her 11th hole) after starting on the back nine. “It’s been a long time since the last CLPG event. On the front nine, I struggled to adapt to the speed. My start wasn’t great, and as I continued to play poorly. I put too much pressure on myself,” said the 18-year-old, a four-time winner on the CLPG Tour. “My game was quite frustrating before the turn, but after bogeying the 17th hole I told myself to relax a bit and play with more determination. I played well on the back nine. Sinking an 18-foot eagle putt really turned things around. The Leadbetter Course at Mission Hills Golf Club Dongguan is a 6,368-yard, par-72 layout. Players are from mainland China unless indicated               * denotes amateur Golfjoy Women’s Open first round leading scores 67 – Lin Xinen 68 – Li Menghan* 69 – Tang Rongze*, Ornnicha Konsunthea (THA) 70 – Cai Danlin, Zeng Liqi 71 – Han Yucen, Li Dongmei, Thanita Muangkhumsakul (THA), Kultida Pramphun (THA),         Nanthikarn Raksachat (THA), He Jiaying, Liu Wenyi*, Wang Zixuan,         Wannasiri Sirisampant (THA), Wang Zhixuan, Chang Chih-yen (TWN) 72 – Ye Lei, Liu Wenbo, Punpaka Phuntumabamrung (THA), Senno Yasufuka (JPN),         Deng Jingfan, Pimnipa Panthong (THA), Phisitkhwan Phuntumabamrung (THA),         Parinda Phokan (THA), Jocelyn Chee (MAS)