With the match again all square through 10 holes, Li went ahead for good when he made a par at the 13th hole as Gu three-putted from 30 feet for a bogey five. At the par-five 16th, Li drove the green in two and sank a 12-footer for eagle despite Gu earlier conceding the hole to go 2 up. At the 17th, Li chipped to 18 feet and made two putts for a par and his first win since last November.

"I'm 80 percent happy for myself and 20 percent unhappy for Gu, one of my best friends. I played stress-free but he looked a little bit stressed during the play," said the Melbourne-based Li, who receives a sponsor's exemption into next year's Volvo China Open.

"I had four runners-up going into this week. Now I am very excited to be the winner. Both my brother and I are looking forward to the 30th Volvo China Open. It's great for me to be able to compare my game against European Tour players and see what areas I need to improve on. My goal is the PGA Tour."

Nantong native Gu, a winner of four events on the junior circuit over the past two years, was quiet in defeat. "I am not good at the match play. But I did better than in the past," said the teenager.