RAHM ROARS TO DP WORLD TITLE
It was a topsy-turvy day at The Earth course. Jon Rahm kept calm, as the others faltered, to win the DP World Tour Championship. And, the bigger Race to Dubai crown went to Tommy Fleetwood when his close buddy Justin Rose dropped three shots on the back nine.
A large number of fans waited with bated breath on the Grand Stand and Fleetwood anxiously watched Rose’s 18th hole play on television in the scoring tent. It had come down to just one possible stroke.
The 2007 Order of Merit winner needed a 90-feet putt for an eagle to deny longhaired English compatriot the Harry Varden trophy. That was not to be, and his only birdie on the back nine was not enough for Rose to win the title the second time.
Rose had a decent front nine score of 32 with four birdies and looked in pole position to win the eighth Rolex Series event as well as top the European Tour list.
The Englishman’s back nine woes, however, began from the 12th hole. A bunker shot left him in a bad position and ended up with his first bogey of the day. On the 14th again he landed in water and dropped a shot and then he missed an easy par putt on the 16th to fall back in the race with Fleetwood, who shot awfully in the final round. He dropped five shots and finished the tournament 11 under, eight strokes behind the ultimate winner.
Fleetwood, who signed for a closing 74 to finish in a tie for 21st, ended the season as Europe’s Number One with 4,318,916 points, 58,821 more than Rose. He had also won at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the HNA Open de France.
Fleetwood’s other Race to Dubai challenger Sergio Garcia also missed out on the opportunity. The Spaniard ended the tournament 17 under after an excellent front nine in which he had six birdies. However, he hit his second shot in the bushes to drop his only stroke of the fourth round at the 18th and finished the day at seven under and tournament at 17 under. Another birdie on the final hole could have had different end to the Race to Dubai story. Garcia, however, slipped to fourth in the rankings as Spanish compa- triot Rahm overtook him, with Rose finishing second behind fellow Englishman Fleetwood.
While the three veterans on the Tour were keeping an eye on each other to top the Order of Merit, 23-year-old winner of the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award, Rohm, kept his eyes on grabbing a chance to win the third title on his first year on the Tour as a card holder.
After a round of 34 on the first nine, the Spaniard came home in 33 for 19 under score and won his second Rolex Series title by one shot.
The young Spaniard made only two birdies on the front nine at third and seventh. Rahm was three back at the turn with a birdie on the tenth edging him closer to the leader. He played steady golf with birdies on the 10th and 14th, then Rahm went right off the tee on the 16th but put his recovery to eight feet for a fifth birdie of the day and the solo lead.
Ireland’s Shane Lowry, who had 10 birdies and a single bogey in an impressive 63, shared second place with Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who had his third successive score of 67 in the tournament.
Fleetwood had a rather forgettable outing at the Jumeirah Golf Estate course this time but had the last laugh as the top golfer on the European Tour, which he led for most of the year this season.
sunilvaidya@khaleejtimes.com