Rose in control as rival falters
TALK about a day filled with drama in the desert. Showing the verve of a major champion and confidence of a man who has won his last two events, Justin Rose shifted the tables on Tommy Fleetwood with a 66 in the DP World Tour Championship.
It places Rose as new leader of the Race to Dubai with just three rounds to play.
The younger man, by stark contrast, displayed the nerves of a player unaccustomed to the rarefied air of trying to close out the Order of Merit. Fleetwood shot 73 and was simply thankful he has 54 holes to repair the damage.
At least he’s not lost his sense of humour. ‘I don’t know how much longer Justin is going to keep playing flawless golf but I wish he’d stop because he’s doing my head in,’ he said.
And Ireland’s Paul Dunne set himself up for another big payday, lying fourth on 67, with Shane Lowry two shots further back. Watching Fleetwood at times was excruciating. The last player to reach the first tee, the 26-year-old became the only one to walk off the green with a double bogey. Fleetwood recovered from being three over after three with a marvellous eagle at the par five 7th but the mistakes kept coming. ‘I just gifted shots away,’ he lamented.
Watching Rose at close to his best didn’t help, of course. He barely missed a shot all day and was blessed with fortune as well, as a beautifully played bunker shot at the 14th trickled into the hole for an eagle three of his own.
Meanwhile, Gavin Moynihan made a gutsy birdie four on the 108th and final hole at Lumine Golf Club yesterday, to secure his playing rights on the European Tour for 2018.
The flame-haired Islandman fired a four-iron to the edge of the par five and two-putted to sign for a 69 for a 13 under par aggregate after six gruelling rounds in Tarragona.
Moynihan faced an anxious wait before it was confirmed that 13 under par was right on the mark for the top 25 players, and tied, who earned their Tour cards.
He admitted afterwards it was ‘a stressful afternoon.’
Moynihan, 23, turned pro in 2015 after his second Walker Cup appearance.