SUNDAY DECEMBER 8, 2013 – HONG KONG OPEN
• His 20th European Tour International Schedule victory in his 618th European Tour event.
• Moves to €159,063 in The Race to Dubai.
• Moves back into the top 40 of the Official World Golf Ranking from 48th.
• At aged 49 years and 337 days extends his own record for being the oldest winner in European Tour history. He beat his previous record of 48 years and 318 days when he won the 2012 Hong Kong Open.
• His fourth victory in the Hong Kong Open, following wins in the 2005, 2008 and 2012 seasons.
• Is the first, four-time winner of the event since it became part of The European Tour in the 2002 season.
• Equals the record of most wins in the history of the event, of four set by Hsieh Yung-yo in 1963, 1964, 1975, 1977.
• Made a successful defence of the Hong Kong Open he won 12 months ago. Is the second player in consecutive weeks to achieve the feat following Charl Schwartzel (2013-2014 Alfred Dunhill Championship).
• His second successful defence of a European Tour title, following the 1998-1999 Turespaña Masters.
• Is the first Spanish player to make a successful defence of a European Tour title, since Pablo Martin Benavides (2010-2011 Alfred Dunhill Championship).
• Is only the second player to successfully defend the Hong Kong Open, following Hsieh Yung-yo in 1963-64.
• Becomes the oldest player in European Tour history to successfully defend a European Tour title. He beats the previous record of Jean-François Remesy, who was 41 years and 26 days when he won his second Alstom Open de France in 2005, after his initial triumph in 2004.
OTHER FACTS
• Extends his own European Tour record for most wins by a player aged 40 and over, to 13.
• Becomes the 11th player to win 20 or more official European Tour events.
• Becomes the seventh player to win the same official event on four or more occasions. He follows, Tiger Woods, Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer, Seve Ballesteros, Sir Nick Faldo and Mark McNulty.
· Becomes the eighth different player in European Tour history to make a successful defence of two or more different European Tour events. They are: Seve Ballesteros, Sir Nick Faldo, Mark James, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Colin Montgomerie, Charl Schwartzel, Tiger Woods and Ian Woosnam.
• Extends his record of most European Tour wins on Asian soil to seven. They are: four in the Hong Kong Open, the 2004 Johnnie Walker Classic, 2004 BMW Asian Open and 2010 Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
• Of the oldest 12 victories in European Tour history, now has four of them.
• His fifth top six finish in his ten starts in the event. Apart from his four wins he was also sixth in 2006.
• The 168th Spanish victory in European Tour history.
• The first Spanish player to win on The European Tour in the 2014 season.
• Would be the 21 consecutive winning season on The European Tour for Spain, dating back to the 1994 season.
• His fourth European Tour victory via a play-off. His record in European Tour play-offs is: played seven, won four, lost three.
• Moves to 652,379 in The European Ryder Cup Points Table.
• Extends his European Tour exemption until the end of 2015.
• Gains a place in the 2014 Volvo Golf Champions.
• His 23rd win as a professional.
