Miguel Ángel Jiménez edged out Lee Westwood in a play-off at the Emirates yesterday to win a thrilling Dubai Desert Classic.
And Steve Stricker moved up to No. 2 in the world as he defeated England's Luke Donald by two strokes to take victory at the Northern Trust Open.
Jiménez and Westwood both finished on 11-under-par overall, though each player could only make par on the day. That wasn't for want of trying, Westwood picking up birdies on the 3rd, 4th, 13th and 18th which ultimately forced the play-off - as well as a bogey on the 9th and 12th, and a double bogey on the 5th.
Jiménez made birdies on the 10th and 17th, but bogeys on the 6th and 11th kept the Spaniard and the Englishman level. The first two play-off holes were played on the 18th, with both players staying on par on each occasion before Jiménez seized his chance on the third play-off hole, the 9th, after Westwood missed a six-foot putt for par.
The 46-year-old Jiménez, who had previously finished as runner up here twice before, said: "All week I've been playing strong with a strong mind and with good support from my caddie. I have been coming to Dubai for many years and had a few chances to win and now I have it, I feel very pleased and very happy."
Jiménez is the oldest player on the European Tour to win since Mark O'Meara won in Dubai back in 2004, when he was 47-years old. The Spaniard has achieved nine of his 16 European wins in his 40s, a fact not wasted on Jimenz, who commented: "Like a good wine, with age, I get better and better."
Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee finished in third place, a stroke behind the leaders on 10-under. Italy's Edoardo Molinari and Germany's Martin Kaymer were tied for fourth place on nine-under, while Spain's Alvaro Quiroz and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy finished tied for sixth place, each on eight-under par.
Although McIlroy finished in the top ten, he was apparently troubled by a back injury and will consult a specialist in Belfast before heading out to the WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona next week.
Eight-time major winner Tom Watson finished two shots further back on six-under, to tie for the eighth place with Sweden's Henrik Stenson.
Starting the day with a six-stroke lead, Steve Stricker played it safe on Sunday with three pars on the first three holes before he bogeyed the 4th. Another bogey followed on the 12th, but in between Stricker managed to take birdies on the 8th and 9th, and another on the 11th. That sealed victory for the American, who switches places with former world No. 2 Phil Mickelson in the world rankings now.
Mickelson had won this tournament for the past two years and was aiming for an unprecedented third straight victory, but he could only finish tied for the 45th spot after coming home with a final round two-over-73 that included three birdies and five bogeys.
England's Luke Donald played an excellent final round of 66-under-par, with six birdies and just one bogey on the 12th, but ultimately it wasn't enough to catch up with Stricker, who had played consistently well over the entire tournament.
The 42-year-old Stricker lost his PGA Tour card in 2004, but in 2006 and 2007 he won the Tour's Comeback player of the Year award, and his current status as the second-best player in the world is proof of a remarkable revival. Might the No. 1 spot be in his sights now?
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