Rahm Wins Nail-Biting Dubai Final As Fleetwood Hangs On To Be Crowned European No. 1.

8 years ago by Comments Off on Rahm Wins Nail-Biting Dubai Final As Fleetwood Hangs On To Be Crowned European No. 1.

The outcome in a 48-tournment, 28-country, 11-month long European Tour season came down to the very last hole at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

Spaniard Jon Rahm, courtesy of a bogey-free five-under par 67, captured the season-final touranment by a stroke with a 19-under par tally.

England’s Tommy Fleetwood sat with his young son and soon-to-be new wife, Clare watching anxiously as Justin Rose slipped from leading by two shots to bogey three holes in a five-hole stretch from his 12th to 16th holes and the arriving at the 72nd hole knowing he needed an eagle ‘3’ to deny his younger countryman the European No. 1 title

In the end, Rose managed a birdie that handed Fleetwood the crown by an eventual handsome Euro 499,478.

Rose, and brilliant winner of his past two events, looked for all intention purposes destined for a second European No. 1 title and a decade after his first, when he birdied four of his opening seven holes and open-up a two-stroke leading cushion.

Tommy Fleetwood is crowned European No. 1 (Photo – European Tour/Getty)

But it was not to be with the Greg Norman-designed Earth Course jumping-up to bite Rose over the closing nine and with Rose eventually sharing fourth place on 17-under and two adrift of Rahm.

Ireland’s Shane Lowry recording a European Tour equal career low of 63  finished tied second with Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat (67).

Rose later tweeted:  “Wasn’t my day… hat off to Tommy Fleetwood on a great year and winning the Race to Dubai and Jon Rahm wining today.”

Fleetwood was clearly overcome by emotion when realising what he had finally managed to achieve and in the end it was a fitting reward for the long-haired Englishman who had lead ‘The Race’ for much of the season and recording victories in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the French Open while he also was runner-up in the WGC – Mexico Championship and second in the Shenzhen International.

Jon Rahm wins 2017 DP World Tour Championship. (Photo – European Tour/Getty)

Of course, Fleetwood would not have wished to bogey his closing two holes in a score of 74th and end the year in a share of 21st place but the Race to Dubai is not about one event.
“It’s the biggest day of my career for sure,” he said.  “The emotions were difficult on me because even — I don’t trust computers, so even when everything had finished, it was so difficult to get up or down. Then I felt for Justin a lot, you know, because I seen him when he come in. I think how gracious he was shows a lot about his character.
“Yeah, it’s not sunk in yet. It’s just such a — the whole week, I had never done anything like this before, and it was actually quite an up-and-down week. “
Rahm ended his season as it had began with victory after earlier in the year he had brillaintly eagled the last hole to win a maiden PGA Tour title at the Farmers Insurance Open, and in only his second event of 2017.
He arrrived in Dubai for a first occasion to start the week being presented on the Tuesday with the prestigious Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year, and then adding the DP World win to his Dubai Duty Free Irish Open victory in May.
“It’s hard to sum it up,” said Rahm. “An incredible week, I could not be more proud of what I’ve done this week. It could be very easy to just be content with getting the award and just being here and trying to play the best.

“Having the weekend that I’ve had, actually shooting 12 under on the last 36 holes, bogey-free round today, it’s really special.

“I didn’t plan on being here at the beginning of the year and I sure didn’t plan on winning it so it’s an incredible feeling.”

Lowry’s effort was a best score since a then European Tour career low of 63 on day three of the 2011 Iberdrola Open before eventually sharing fifth place.

“The golf course was there for the taking as there was not that much wind and the greens were as good of greens as you’ll see,” he said.

“I just felt a low score was out there.  I didn’t know I was going to shoot the best score of the season on my last day of the season.

“At least it gives me something to smile about going into my Christmas break.”

 



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