Miguel Angel Jimenez, at 46, the oldest winner of a European Tour event since Mark O'Meara six years ago.

Jimenez beats Westwood in Dubai play-off

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Miguel Angel Jiménez from Malaga became the oldest winner on The European Tour for six years with a play-off victory over Lee Westwood at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic today.
The flamboyant Spaniard, who has won nine of his 16 European Tour titles after his 40th birthday, carded a level par 72 to tie with Westwood and hold off the challenge of Thongchai Jaidee.
At 46 years and 33 days old, Jiménez becomes the oldest winner on The European Tour since Mark O’Meara, who won this event six years ago at 47 years and 54 days. He is the eighth oldest winner on the Tour.
Jiménez beat Westwood at the third play-off hole, following a thrilling see-saw final day at Emirates Golf Club.
European No 1 Westwood birdied the last hole in regulation to card a final round level par 72 to join Jiménez at 11 under par 277.
Jiménez, who began the day sharing a one-shot lead with Westwood, Alvaro Quiros and Thongchai Jaidee, missed a 10ft birdie chance at the 72nd hole to card his own final round of 72.
Westwood missed potential championship-winning putts at the first two extra holes, while on both occasions Jiménez had to fight to stay in contention - with a 12ft par putt the second time around keeping his title hopes alive.
After switching to the par-4 ninth after two trips up the 18th, Jiménez holed out from four feet to claim his 19th professional title and first since the 2008 BMW PGA Championship, after Westwood had missed his 6ft par putt.
"I feel so proud to win this trophy. I like the golf course, I like the ambience and I like the people and I am very happy," said Ryder Cup player Jimenez, who has previously finished runner-up twice in this event.
"I made a very good putt on the second hole of the play-off on the 18th that kept me going. Then I had a putt to win. My last win was in 2008 in the PGA and it proves the old guys like me can win."
Asian No 1 Jaidee carded a one over par 73 final round to finish third, a shot behind Jimenez and Westwood. It should have been a three-way play-off as the Thai missed a 2ft birdie putt at the last.
Abu Dhabi champion Martin Kaymer (70) and Challenge Tour No 1 Edoardo Molinari (71) finished fourth at nine under par, with Rory McIlroy and Alvaro Quiros a further shot adrift.
McIlroy produced a valiant defence of his maiden title but could only manage a closing 73, while Quiros needed to eagle at the last to earn a play-off but found the water and carded a final round 75.
Grégory Bourdy (68), 2007 champion Henrik Stenson (68) and 60 year old eight-time Major winner Tom Watson (68) completed the top ten at six under par.
After Westwood had briefly held a two shot lead midway through the front nine before shipping a double bogey, Jiménez and Quiros both moved one clear on the back nine.
But after back-to-back bogeys halted Quiros' challenge, Jiménez added a second birdie of the day at the 17th to set the clubhouse target of 11-under-par 277.
Needing a birdie at the last, Westwood aggressively drove the final green to set up his crucial fourth gain of the day after seeing a birdie chance lip out two holes earlier.
At the first play-off hole after driving the green over a lake, Westwood saw a curling ten foot birdie putt for the title stop on the edge of the cup, while Jiménez battled to save his par after his approach came within an inch of dropping into the water at the front of the green.
Jiménez again looked out of the hunt on the second play-off hole after an uncharacteristic wayward tee shot before hitting his third shot into the back bunker.
But with Westwood within inches after leaving an 18 foot putt for the title just short having again set himself up with another aggressive second shot approach into the par-5, Jiménez held his nerve to hole a 12ft par putt.
The play-off switched to the par four ninth and despite finding rough off the tee, and like Westwood failing to find the green in two, Jiménez converted his up and down to deny the Englishman claiming a win which would have lifted him to third in the world.
SCOTSWATCH: Stephen Gallacher and David Drysdale tied for the "honour" of finishing the leading Scot. They both totalled one-under-par 287 and earned 14,054 Euros apiece. Drysdale had a closing 69 while Gallacher a disappointing 76. It's amazing to think that if Gallacher had repeated his very good Saturday round of 67 - his lowest on the European Tour for some time - on Sunday he would have finished on 278, one shot outside the play-off! If Gallacher can take that kind of positive feeling from the tournament, he will prosper again in 2010.
Dunfermline-born, Dubai-based Ross Bain, the third and last Scot to make the halfway, finished on 290 with a 74, his worst round of the four. His pay cheque was for 7,294 Euros.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288(4x72) Prizemoney in Euros.
277 Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 70 67 68 72, Lee Westwood 72 65 68 72 (Jimenez won play-off at third extra hole). Jimenez 296,500; Westwood 197,664
278 Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 70 66 69 73 (111,367)

279 Martin Kaymer (Ger) 71 70 68 70, Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 68 70 70 71 (82,191 each).
280 Rory McIlroy 68 70 69 73, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 69 69 67 75 (57,818 each)
282 Tom Watson (USA) 73 70 71 68, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 74 70 70 68, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 76 69 69 68 (39,968 each).
283 Ross Fisher 70 72 70 71, Paul Casey 69 71 70 73, David Horsey 71 73 70 69, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 70 68 70 75
284 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 68 72 70 74, Christian Nilsson (Swe) 70 71 69 74, Oliver Wilson 72 74 67 71, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 71 73 69 71, Richard Green (Aus) 69 74 71 70
285 Robert Rock 70 74 69 72, Chris Wood 72 74 68 71, Graeme McDowell 72 68 70 75, Paul Waring 74 72 67 72, Gareth Maybin 73 68 72 72, Soren Hansen (Den) 71 72 73 69, David Lynn 72 71 70 72
286 Peter Hanson (Swe) 73 69 70 74, Francesco Molinari (Ita) 71 75 73 67, Alexander Noren (Swe) 68 74 69 75, Darren Clarke 71 70 72 73
287 Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 71 74 70 72, Richard Bland 74 67 74 72, David Drysdale 72 74 72 69, Stephen Gallacher 73 71 67 76, Anders Hansen (Den) 69 73 70 75, Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 74 70 71 72, Matteo Manassero (Ita) (am) 69 72 71 75
288 James Kingston (Rsa) 75 67 71 75, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 68 70 76 74, Marcel Siem (Ger) 71 70 75 72, Nick Dougherty 72 74 73 69, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 71 72 72 73, Kenneth Ferrie 74 72 71 71
289 Robert Karlsson (Swe) 70 71 76 72, Seung-yul Noh (Kor) 72 74 69 74, Damien McGrane 73 73 71 72, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 74 72 68 75, Tano Goya (Arg) 73 72 70 74, Mark Foster 74 72 71 72, Pablo Martin (Spa) 71 73 73 72
290 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 74 71 71 74, Stephen Dodd 68 69 76 77, Shiv Kapur (Ind) 74 71 71 74, Ross Bain 72 71 73 74, Bradley Dredge 72 71 74 73
291 Brett Rumford (Aus) 73 73 72 73, John Bickerton 73 70 76 72, Simon Dyson 71 74 75 71, Thomas Levet (Fra) 73 73 74 71
292 Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 74 70 73 75, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 73 71 70 78, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Ind) 77 69 70 76, Johan Edfors (Swe) 72 71 70 79, Paul Broadhurst 72 72 71 77
294 Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 75 68 72 79
295 Erik Compton (USA) 73 73 76 73
299 Hennie Otto (Rsa) 76 67 77 79