Stephen Gallacher of Scotland poses with the trophy after winning the Dubai Desert Classic in Dubai, yesterday.
DUBAI: In a tournament in which he could do no wrong, Stephen Gallacher of Scotland fired a timely eagle two on the par-4 16th hole and comfortably won the $2.5m Omega Dubai Desert Classic in the end by three shots.
On a difficult day at the Majlis course of Emirates Golf Club, Gallacher battled it out gamely against South Africa’s Richard Sterne before the magic second shot with a sandwedge from 115 yard changed the complexion of the tournament. It was Gallacher’s fifth eagle of the tournament and it helped him close the tournament with a one-under par 71 round.
That gave him a four-day tally of 22-under par 266, matching the all-time lowest winning total in the history of the tournament (Thomas Bjorn in 2001).
The victory was only the second European Tour win for the 38-year-old Scotsman. His last win came way back in October 2004 when he won the Dunhill Links Championship. Sterne (71) had a back nine wobble and was second at 19-under par 269, while Chile’s Felipe Aguilar (69) and Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen (71) were tied third at 17-under par 271.
World No.8 Lee Westwood (68) of England looked good to create some drama, but after reaching 17-under par with four holes to play, he missed a birdie chance from five feet and made two bogeys and a birdie to finish tied fifth at 272 alongside Australian Marcus Fraser (67).
“I knew it was going to be a difficult day given the gusty wind and I knew I just had to stay patient throughout. Anything could have happened out there if you caught a bit of wind,” said Gallacher, who is expected to rise to No. 60 in the world from his present ranking of 111.
“I didn’t realise it is 201 tournaments since my last win, but now that I have got it, it is even sweeter.” AFP
