Sergio Garcia claimed his 12th European Tour title in a dominant performance at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic as he held on to the lead from the beginning of the tournament till the end.
Carding a great closing 69 at the Emirates Golf Club to finish 19 under par, the Spanish star went three shots clear of Henrik Stenson.
Garcia started the final round with a three-shot lead and kept his composure as Stenson was the only real threat as he closed the gap to two shots on the 14th when he carded a birdie.
However, the Open champion bogeyed his shot on the next over the green while Garcia claimed the three-shot lead back after a wonderful approach to two feet set a birdie and a two shot-swing.
Stenson finished with a 16 under par after scoring a birdie on the last, two shots ahead of Tyrrell Hatton and Lasse Jensen.
“I was chasing all day and I was trying to push, even though I didn’t play my best,” Said Stenson. “With that birdie on 14, I was hoping I was going to be able to make it a bit interesting coming into the last couple of holes. If you’re one or two behind, with 17 and 18, a lot of things can happen: You can eagle and someone else can end up in trouble.
“We picked the wrong wind and I hit the wrong shot at the same time. Airmailed the green on 15 and led to bogey. And Sergio hit a good shot to three feet and then it was pretty much game, set, match.”
Garcia’s last European Tour win also came during the Desert Swing in Qatar in 2014. However, the 37-year-old has won on the Asian Tour in Vietnam in 2015 and the AT&T Byron Nelson on the PGA Tour last season.
With this victory he will surely be back in the Official World Golf Ranking’s top 10.
