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Updated at 6:10 a.m., Sunday, April 19, 2009

Golf: Scott Strange wins China Open by 1 stroke

Associated Press

BEIJING — Australian Scott Strange won the Volvo China Open by one stroke over Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, shooting a 4-under 68 today.

Strange had five birdies in the final round to finish at 8-under 280 on 7,321-yard Beijing CBD International Golf Club course.

"It's reward for putting all those hours in at the range and all that time on the putting green," said Strange, who won the Wales Open last June. "I'm still here. ... I lost that for a while, straight after Wales, for about six months. To do this now is sort of putting the ship back on course."

Fernandez-Castano shot a 72 to continue his strong form after losing in a playoff at the Estoril Open earlier this month.

"My putting was quite poor on the first 12 holes or so and, by the end of the round, I could feel it was getting there but it was a bit too late," Fernandez-Castano said. "Today, I played the worst of the four days but I hung in there."

Mark Brown of New Zealand finished two shots back after a 69 that included seven birdies but two bogeys and a double bogey.

Brown tied with overnight leader Richard Finch of England (74) and Australian Ashley Hall (71).

Welshman Stephen Dodd, the 2005 champion, had an eagle on the final hole for a 68 and a share of fifth at 283 with England's David Dixon (71).

Paul McGinley (68) finished four strokes off the pace with Austria's Markus Brier (73) and Chapchai Nirat of Thailand (72).

European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie (73) finished at 1 over.

The $2.2 million China Open is jointly sanctioned by the European Tour and is the first tournament in the OneAsia series launched by the PGA of Australasia, the China Golf Association and the Korean Golf Association and PGA.

OneAsia has been created as a rival to the established Asian Tour in a battle for control of professional golf on the continent.