DUBAI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Lee Westwood signs off in style


with 64 for six-shot win

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Lee Westwood has triumphed at the Dubai World Championship presented by: DP World after a nerveless final round of 64 secured a six-shot victory and with it The Race to Dubai title for 2009.
Westwood, pictured, who led by two shots overnight, fired one of the finest rounds of his career to take the €830,675 first prize at the Greg Norman-designed Earth course that also secured his status as European No 1 for the second time in his career.
The 36 year old, who wins The Race to Dubai having earned €3,240,951 in 26 events this season, becomes the eighth Englishman to have won the Harry Vardon Trophy on two occasions or more and the 18th player overall.
His remarkable final round - bogey free and with birdies at the second, third, fifth, sixth, seventh (out in 31), 10th, 13th and 15th (home in 33) - meant he ended on 23 under par, six shots ahead of Ross McGowan. He had 25 birdies over the 72 holes and only two bogeys.
It makes him just the third golfer in European Tour history to finish European Number One having also won the final event of the season. The last was Colin Montgomerie in 1993.
As well as being his 32nd victory worldwide as a professional and his second victory on The European Tour this season, the win moves Westwood up to No 4 in the Official World Golf Rankings, matching his highest career position. McIlroy is the new No 10, his highest yet.
Westwood’s win also makes him one of five players to have passed the €19million mark in European Tour Official Career Earnings, just the fifth player to achieve this, and is the second time he has landed over €3million in prize money in a single season.
McGowan carded a final round 68, including five straight birdies from the 12th, to hold on to second place on 17 under par after a sustained charge from Rory McIlroy, who fired five birdies on his back nine and six in a nine-hole stretch from the ninth, before bogeying the par-5 18th to sign for a five under par 67 and with it third place on 15 under par.
Geoff Ogilvy finished down in fourth alongside Padraig Harrington on 14 under par while Alexander Noren ended in sixth a shot further behind.

ANOTHER ANGLE ON THE LAST DAY AT DUBAI

FROM THE GUARDIAN WEBSITE:
Lee Westwood's fellow Englishman Ross McGowan, another from the same stable, took second place worth almost £500,000, but not surprisingly it was Rory McIlroy whose disappointment at just missing out was felt most deeply.
It even boiled over on the the seventh hole when, having seen that Westwood had turned it into a one-man show with a flying start, he smashed a club into an advertising hoarding and had to pull it out.
That will almost certainly lead to a fine - Swede Henrik Stenson had to pay £500 for breaking a tee marker at The Open two years ago - but the 20-year-old from Holywood, Belfast was able to smile about it afterwards.
And he was soon reflecting on what was a superb attempt to become the youngest Tour No 1 since Seve Ballesteros at 19 in 1976.
"Lee deserves it," said McIlroy who is laughing all the way to the bank, metaphorically at least, with a pay-day of nearly £960,000 - £290,230 for third spot and £669,762 from the bonus pool.
"It's an unbelievable amount of money but that's not why I was playing today. I was trying to win," he said.
"I have no complaints. I gave it my best shot and it's been a great season, but Lee is just in a different class.
"Most times coming here leading and then finishing third would be good enough, but even if I'd played well I'm not sure I could have got to 23 under."
In his final round of 67, McIlroy birdied the ninth, 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th and 17th before bogeying the 18th for 32 home.

SCOTSWATCH: David Drysdale will be disappointed at getting nowhere near contention at any stage of the tournament. Only in a last round of 69 - after earlier efforts of 72, 73 and 73 - for one-under-par 287 did the man from Dunbar show the kind of form that got him to Dubai. He earned 27,412 Euros from the rich prize fund.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72). 7,657yd.
265 Lee Westwood 66 69 66 64
271 Ross McGowan 71 66 66 68
273 Rory McIlroy 68 69 69 67
274 Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 70 69 68 67, Padraig Harrington 68 69 69 68
275 Alexander Noren (Swe) 70 69 67 69
276 Adam Scott (Aus) 68 73 67 68, Sergio Garcia (Spa) 71 67 69 69
278 Peter Hanson (Swe) 72 71 66 69, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 72 68 69 69, Ian Poulter 71 74 68 65
279 Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 71 66 71 71
280 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 70 72 68 70, Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 68 70 70 72, Robert Allenby (Aus) 65 72 73 70
281 Anthony Wall 71 71 70 69, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 69 71 69 72, Oliver Wilson 71 72 70 68, Wen-chong Liang (Chn) 68 70 73 70, Camilo Villegas (Col) 66 71 73 71, Bradley Dredge 70 71 68 72
282 Johan Edfors (Swe) 69 70 71 72
283 Jamie Donaldson 73 70 69 71, Scott Strange (Aus) 73 67 73 70, Thomas Levet (Fra) 73 69 68 73, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 71 71 70 71
284 Anders Hansen (Den) 73 69 70 72, Gareth Maybin 71 69 74 70, Graeme Storm 78 66 67 73
285 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 72 68 71 74, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 73 69 71 72, James Kingston (Rsa) 73 73 67 72, Graeme McDowell 76 70 71 68, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 71 71 73 70, Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa) 71 67 75 72, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 70 73 72 70
286 Martin Kaymer (Ger) 71 71 72 72, Luke Donald 73 72 71 70, Simon Dyson 70 73 70 73, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 70 73 74 69, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 70 74 70 72
287 Chris Wood 66 78 68 75, David Drysdale 72 73 73 69, Ross Fisher 73 71 70 73, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 73 72 73 69, Peter Lawrie 71 70 76 70, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 69 75 73 70, Richard Sterne (Rsa) 72 71 74 70
288 Nick Dougherty 69 72 73 74
289 Robert Rock 74 70 69 76, Justin Rose 72 75 73 69, Ernie Els (Rsa) 74 74 70 71
290 Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 74 72 74 70
291 Damien McGrane 74 70 76 71, Steve Webster 75 73 73 70, Soren Hansen (Den) 73 73 73 72, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 75 72 73 71
295 Danny Willett 76 70 73 76

HARRY VARDON'S SON PETER (83) PROVIDES

EUROPEAN TOUR LINK WITH THE PAST

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
The connection between the past and present on The European Tour International Schedule was celebrated at the Dubai World Championship with a special presentation to Harry Vardon’s son, Peter.
Harry Vardon is considered by many to have been the forefather of professional tournament golfers and is the figure central to The European Tour identity, being depicted within The Race to Dubai graphics and the Dubai World Championship logo.
The Harry Vardon Trophy, first presented in 1937 in Vardon’s honour, has been awarded each year to the winner of The European Tour Order of Merit.
Vardon is central to the link between the old Order of Merit and the new Race to Dubai with the iconic representation of the six time Open Champion sitting atop both the original Harry Vardon Trophy and the new Race to Dubai trophy, which was presented to winner Lee Westwood.
To commemorate the historic relationship, European Tour Chief Executive George O’Grady presented Peter Vardon, 83, with his own replica of the Harry Vardon Trophy at a special ceremony in the clubhouse at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
“It is wonderful that Peter has travelled to Dubai to be with us this week to see the new magnificent Race to Dubai trophy – with Harry on the top – being presented on Sunday night,” said O’Grady.
Peter said: “I am thoroughly enjoying my trip over to Dubai and this presentation is a marvellous memento of the week. Thank you to the players and everyone at The European Tour for their kindness in making this happen.”