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Hong Kong - Flamboyant Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez vowed to return to Hong Kong next year to seek a record-breaking fifth title after the defending champion sensationally missed the cut on Friday.
The 50-year-old was seeking to become the first player to win the co-sanctioned European/Asian Tour event three times in a row but was undone by a bout of food poisoning in the southern Chinese city.
Jimenez triumphed at the Hong Kong Golf Club in 2004, 2007, and 2012 before last year's victory but failed to continue his dominance this week as he struggled to rounds of 72 and 70.
The veteran, who is the oldest winner on the European Tour, said he was still hopeful of becoming the first golfer to win at Fanling five times.
He also wants to join 14-time major winner Tiger Woods, British Open legend Tom Watson and Germany's Bernhard Langer as the only players to win the same tournament on five occasions.
"I'll be back next year, of course," said Jimenez. "I love this place. I love the golf course and I will definitely be here."
Jimenez never looked himself over two rounds on the 6,699-yard course, blaming a bad reaction to something he ate on Wednesday night.
After an opening round of two-over par, the Spanish star needed to make a charge up the leaderboard on Friday but it never materialised.
He made two quick birdies, but four bogeys in a row stopped him in his tracks. A chip-in for eagle on the 13th was a rare highlight but it was too little too late as he signed for a level-par 70.
"Yesterday I walked around the golf course like a phantom," he told reporters. "Today I tried hard and made some birdies but I also made too many bogeys."
Jimenez, renowned for his love of cigars, fast cars, and red wine added he would now turn his attention towards next week's Macau Open -- an Asian Tour event.
