India's Jeev Milkha Singh held his nerve to finally claim his first European Tour title with a one-shot victory at the co-sanctioned China Open on Sunday.
The son of famed Olympic athlete Milkha Singh, "the flying Sikh", Singh shot a final round 70 to finish at 10 under par for the tournament as his main challengers fell by the wayside.
While the high winds that wreaked havoc on Saturday's third round at the Honghua Golf Club eased significantly for the final round, good scoring was still at a premium.
Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano dropped a shot at the 18th to fall to 70 for the day and finished second on nine under for the tournament.
Briton David Lynn, the leader after the second and third rounds, finished a shot further back after a disappointing 73 with four bogeys and three birdies.
Defending champion Paul Casey shot a 72 for a share of fourth place on seven under, along with fellow Briton Simon Wakefield and Australians Peter Fowler and Jarrod Lyle.
Singh was the first Indian to qualify for the European Tour in 1997 but, plagued by wrist injuries, he played without success until 2002 before returning to the Asian Tour. He will take home a cheque for $300,000, dwarfing his earnings in the last three years.
The 34-year-old started the day in a tie for second but dropped a shot at the opening hole, before hitting back with birdies at the third, fifth and seventh.
At the 11th, his tee shot went into trees and a spectator picked up the ball and threw it away. The offender received a kick from another spectator but Singh maintained his concentration and found a shot that enabled him to save par.
From then on Singh was rock steady, with Fernandez in the clubhouse two shots behind, and he was able to afford three putts on the final green to claim victory.
Li Chao, the only one of 22 mainland Chinese in the draw to make the cut, shot a final round 78 to finish six-over for the tournament after carding par 72s for the first three rounds.
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