Staff WriterThe Hainan Open didn’t just deliver drama—it delivered a reminder of what grit looks like under pressure. Italy’s Renato Paratore, a man who plays golf like he’s late for dinner, clawed his way back to the DP World Tour with a third win of the season, sealing promotion in nerve-jangling fashion.
Trailing by three overnight at Sanya Luhuitou Golf Club, Paratore stitched together a round that swung between brilliance and brinkmanship: six birdies, one eagle, two bogeys—a card scribbled by someone willing to take his chances rather than die wondering.
His closing six-under 66 dragged him level at 17-under with Austrian Maximilian Steinlechner, who had been warming the clubhouse like a man hoping the golf gods would do him a favour.
They didn’t.
On the first sudden-death play-off hole, Steinlechner blinked. Paratore didn’t. A no-nonsense par—no swagger, no fuss—was enough to punch his ticket back to what he calls “Golf’s Global Tour”.
“It’s been an amazing day,” he said. “Getting my third win of the year was important and the putt on 18 was an amazing feeling. It means a lot to secure promotion, and this is an amazing way to do it.”
A Day for the Bold
The Hainan Open leaderboard looked like a motorway pileup—bunched traffic and flashing lights everywhere. But Paratore found daylight with a soaring eagle on the par-five 13th, joining Steinlechner at the summit. Then came the gut punch: a bogey at 17. Advantage: No One.
Standing on 18 needing a birdie to survive, Paratore poured in a 25-foot dagger with the swagger of a man who’s done it before—and will do it again.
“I knew it was tight at the end,” he said. “I wasn’t happy after the 17th, but I knew I was putting well. I made a good putt, and it was amazing to see it go in.
“Seeing that putt go in is what we work for. You always want to have a putt like that on the last and when I saw it go in it was an amazing emotion.”
Eyes on Number One
Paratore now climbs to third on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, breathing down the necks of David Law and JC Ritchie. This is a man who doesn’t bother hiding his ambitions.
“The goal now is to finish as Number One,” he said. “I’ve moved closer to the two guys at the top after today, so I now want to finish on top of the Rankings.”
Behind him, France’s Félix Mory took solo third at 15-under, while Jan Schneider, Sebastian Garcia and local hope Bai Khengkai shared fourth.
Next Stop: Hangzhou
The Road to Mallorca circus doesn’t slow down. After the fireworks of the Hainan Open, the tour rolls on to Westlake International Golf and Country Club for another Chinese showdown at the Hangzhou Open from October 16–19. Paratore arrives with wind in his sails, promotion secured—and the scent of a season title within reach.
If he keeps holing putts like he did on 18 in Hainan, the rest of the field may as well start playing for second.
