The story appears on

Page A16

November 18, 2013

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

HomeSportsGolf

Stenson鈥檚 double delight in Dubai

Henrik Stenson of Sweden won the Race to Dubai title yesterday, confirming him as the European No. 1 for 2013.

The Swede clinched his first European player title in style by eagling the final hole for a 64 and a four-day total of 25-under par 263 at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai to win the season-ending World Tour Championship title by six strokes from England’s Ian Poulter (66).

That beat the previous lowest tournament total by two shots, and matched the largest victory margin by Briton Lee Westwood in 2009.

The 37-year-old is the first man to win the European Tour’s Race to Dubai title and the US PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup title in the same season. “It has been an incredible summer for me, the fall (autumn) in America was great and now this,” said Stenson, who was second at the US Open at Muirfield and third in the PGA Championship before his FedEx Cup victory.

“I played so well this week. I knew the guys would try to catch me, especially Ian who never gives up. I wanted to stay ahead of him and I managed to do that.

“I don’t know how I am going to be able to top this next year but I am going to give my best in the majors and that (to win one) would be the icing on the cake.”

The Swede will remain the world No. 3 despite the win, but he will close the gap on No. 2 Adam Scott, who won back-to-back events on the Australian PGA Tour by winning the Australian Masters earlier yesterday. Tiger Woods is the world No. 1.

Stenson, who has been in sublime form over the last six months, led the tournament wire to wire and he started the day with a one-stroke lead over France’s Victor Dubuisson (71).

He got off to a sound start and any lingering doubts over the result were erased when the Swede picked up further shots on the 12th and 14th to improve to 23 under par.

Poulter had not given up the fight and had also birdied the 10th and 13th, but that still left him six shots behind.

Poulter also birdied the par-3 17th to move into outright second, but it was only a matter of time before Stenson would follow in the footsteps of Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and get his hands on the tournament silverware and Harry Vardon Trophy as European No. 1.

McIlroy and the man he succeeded as European No. 1, Luke Donald, had both carded rounds of 67 to finish 15 under, while US Open champion Justin Rose (70) ended at 13 under.

Rose and Graeme McDowell had been able to overtake Stenson with a victory here, but McDowell finished 9 under after a final round of 71.

 


 

Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

娌叕缃戝畨澶 31010602000204鍙

Email this to your friend