Westwood is Europe’s No. 1 again after Dubai win
As Matt Fitzpatrick lined up a short putt to win his second World Tour Championship, Lee Westwood was embracing his fiancée in the scoring tent in celebration of a notable achievement of his own.
Moments earlier amid a dramatic end to the most bizarre of years on the European Tour, Westwood — at the venerable age of 47 — had been confirmed as the oldest winner of the season-long Race to Dubai title.
He would be finishing a season as the tour’s No. 1 player for a third time in his career, 20 years after the first. And, soon, he’d be hoisting the giant Harry Vardon Trophy high, despite having a sore back that nearly forced him to withdraw at the start of the week.
“I got my back back to pretty decent,” Westwood said with a smile. “Now I’ve had to lift that massive trophy and strained it again.”
It was worth the pain. In what turned into a suspenseful final round in the season-ending event at Dubai’s Jumeirah Golf Estates, Fitzpatrick birdied the first four holes and held on grimly on the back nine to shoot 4-under 68 and win the World Tour Championship by one stroke from Westwood.
Westwood also shot 68 after getting up and down from a greenside bunker for birdie at the last hole, which left him in contention to win the Race to Dubai title at the expense of Fitzpatrick and Patrick Reed — the former Masters champion looking to become the first American to be the European Tour’s No. 1.
Westwood needed a collapse from some of his rivals over the final holes on the Earth Course, and that’s what transpired.
Reed would have been Race to Dubai champion by finishing in outright third place or higher, but bogeys at the 16th and 17th saw him lose out. Still, chipping in from the fringe at No. 18, Reed shot 70 and finish tied for third with Viktor Hovland (69), ultimately two shots behind Fitzpatrick.
That left Laurie Canter, playing in the final group with Fitzpatrick, as the only player who could deny Westwood outright second place. However, Canter pulled his tee shot at the par-3 17th and required two shots just to get the ball up the bank and onto the green.
The Englishman made double-bogey there and only parred the last, when he needed eagle to finish alongside Westwood.
Westwood was watching the action unfold on TV from inside the scoring tent next to his caddie, fiancée Helen, when he was confirmed as Race to Dubai champion. They hugged each other, their emotions partially covered by the fact they were wearing face masks.
After a weather delay of over three hours on Sunday, the U.S. Women’s Open in Houston was suspended until Monday.
T he final group was 25 minutes from teeing off when play was called off at about 10:10 a.m. eastern as thunderstorms rolled in at Champions Golf Club in Houston. Scattered storms were forecast throughout the rest of the day.
At 1:40 p.m. the USGA sent out official word in a tweet: “Final round play at the 75th U.S. Women’s Open has been suspended the remainder of the day due to course conditions and anticipated inclement weather this afternoon.”
Former No. 1 and
2018 U.S. Women’s
Open champion Ariya Jutanugarn managed to birdie the first hole to pull to even par, four strokes behind leader Hinako Shibuno, who leads at 4-under.
Amy Olson is second at 3-under. Moriya Jutanugarn, at 1 under, is the third player in that final threesome.
From Wire Reports