Jimenez takes Hong Kong title

Miguel Angel Jimenez won his fifth title of 2004 at the Omega Hong Kong Open today and with it left defending champion Padraig Harrington with the 25th runners-up finish of his career.

Harrington and South African James Kingston shared second place on 13 under par, one behind the 40-year-old Spaniard, whose closing 66 was the joint-best score of the final round.

Jimenez and Kingston were level with two to play and when Kingston sank a 35-foot birdie putt on the 17th the pendulum seemed to have swung his way.

But the Malaga golfer followed him in from 25 feet and then Kingston hooked his drive up against a fence down the last.

He had to take a penalty drop and bogeyed to fall back alongside Harrington, who played the last five holes in three under but had to make a 30-footer on the 18th to have a chance and left it short.

Nick Faldo, only a stroke off the lead at the start of the day, managed only a 71 and dropped to joint sixth.

Hong Kong Leaderboard

14 under - Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) (72)

13 under – James Kingston (Rsa) (72)

Padraig Harrington (Irl) (72)

10 under – Thammanoon Srirot (Tha) (72)

Thomas Bjorn (Den) (72)

8 under – Nick Faldo (72)

David Howell (72)

7 under – Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spa) (72)

Alessandro Tadini (Ita) (72)

Lian-Wei Zhang (Chn) (72)