STEPHEN GALLACHER WINS DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC

           STEPHEN GALLACHER WITH THE DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC TROPHY

                       PICTURE BY COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES(c)

 

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Stephen Gallacher ended his nine-year wait for a second European Tour title in stunning fashion with victory at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic today.
The 38-year-old Scot from Linlithgow holed his approach to the par four 16th for his fifth eagle of the week to finally shake off the obdurate challenge of Richard Sterne.
A one-under-par 71 gave Gallacher a 22-under-par winning total of 266 and a three-shot victory margin; but that barely told the story of a remarkable final round.
Three clear overnight, Sterne wiped out the former European Amateur Champion’s advantage within two holes, before the pair leapfrogged each other repeatedly until Gallacher holed a 110 yard wedge to the 16th.
“I’m obviously delighted,” said Bernard Gallacher's nephew, whose only previous European Tour title in 404 starts came back in 2004 at St Andrews. “It’s taken a long time but it’s sweeter now.
“I’ve holed four shots this week, but you’ve got to do that these days to win – you need that little bit of magic.”
Gallacher now looks set to climb into the top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking in time for the WGC-Accenture Match Play, and has a great chance to move into the top 50 in time for a Masters Tournament debut at Augusta National.
“It’s the only Major I’ve never played,” he said. “I sit and watch it in the house with the kids every year and obviously it would be a dream to play there.”
Chile's Felipe Aguilar and Dane Thorbjørn Olesen tied for third and England's Lee Westwood joint fourth after hitting his second shot into the water on the par five last.n the European Tour, in the 2004 Dunhill Links Championship.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72) Prizemoney in Euros
266 Stephen Gallacher (Scotland) 63 70 61 72 (309,233)
269 Richard Sterne (South Africa) 62 70 66 71 (206,153)
271 Felipe Aguilar (Chile) 68 68 66 69, Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) 67 66 67 71 (104,400 each)
272 Marcus Fraser (Australia) 67 69 69 67, Lee Westwood (England) 67 71 66 68 (71,805 each)
273 Ricardo Santos (Portugal) 66 71 69 67, Robert Rock (England) 70 68 67 68, Steve Webster (England) 69 69 65 70 (47,870).
274 Jeev Milkha Singh (India) 68 67 67 83, Tommy Fleetwood (England) 65 68 69 72 (35,624)

SELECTED TOTALS
277 Marc Warren (Scotland) 67 72 71 69 (T17) (21,812)
278 Scott Jamieson (Scotland) 65 72 70 71 (T26) (17,905)
280 Craig Lee (Scotland) 69 70 71 70, Paul Casey (England) 66 780 73 71 (T37) (11,875 each)
281 David Drysdale (Scotland) 69 70 69 73 (T45) (9,648)
283 Chris Doak (Scotland) 65 69 71 78 (T52)  (6,520)

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE FULL SCOREBOARD   

Stephen Gallacher – With This Win

 

• His second European Tour International Schedule victory in his 404th European Tour event.

 

• Moves to sixth in The Race to Dubai with €314,269.

 

• Moves into the top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking from 111th and in a very good position to qualify for the WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship for the first time.

 

• His first European Tour victory since the 2004 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, a gap of eight years and 116 days.

 

• Played in a total of 210 European Tour events between victories.

 

• From those 210 events played he has been second on three occasions. The events were the 2006 British Masters, 2012 Maybank Malaysian Open and tied second in the 2012 Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

 

• Victory comes in his 13th appearance in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

 

• Beats his previous best finish in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic of tied second in 2012. (Was also tied fourth on his debut in 2000 and tied tenth in 2011).

 

• Only the second Scot to win the Omega Dubai Desert Classic after Colin Montgomerie in 1996.

 

• Becomes the second Scot to win on the 2013 European Tour International Schedule, following Scott Jamieson, who won the Nelson Mandela Championship presented by ISPS Handa.

 

• His first European Tour victory where he has led going into the final round. (Made up three shots in the final round to win the 2004 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship).

 

• His winning total of 266 (-22) matches the tournament record in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, set by Thomas Björn in 2001.

 

COMPLETE SCOREBOARD

266 S Gallacher (Sco) 63 70 62 71,

 269 R Sterne  (RSA) 62 70 66 71,

 271 T Olesen (Den) 67 66 67 71, F Aguilar (Chi) 68 68 66 69,

 272 L Westwood (Eng) 67 71 66 68, M Fraser (Aus) 67 69 69 67,

 273 R Santos  (Por) 66 71 69 67, S Webster (Eng) 69 69 65 70, R Rock (Eng) 70 68 67 68,

 274 J Singh (Ind) 68 67 67 72, T Fleetwood  (Eng) 65 68 69 72,

 275 G Maybin (Nir) 69 67 69 70, M Manassero (Ita) 66 71 70 68, A Sullivan (Eng) 69 67 69 70,

 276 G Mulroy (RSA) 71 70 66 69, L Gagli  (Ita) 68 71 69 68,

 277 J Olazábal (Esp) 70 67 71 69, R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 69 69 69 70, A Hartø  (Den) 67 67 71 72, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 67 71 68 71, S Garcia  (Esp) 68 67 71 71, P Lawrie (Irl) 66 70 71 70, M Kieffer (Ger) 66 68 69 74, I Garrido (Esp) 69 68 70 70, M Warren (Sco) 67 72 71 67,

 278 J Walters (RSA) 68 70 67 73, H Stenson (Swe) 69 69 71 69, S Jamieson  (Sco) 65 72 70 71, S Noh (Kor) 66 72 67 73,

 279 R Derksen (Ned) 68 72 69 70, R Jacquelin (Fra) 70 68 68 73, A Noren  (Swe) 68 71 67 73, D Howell (Eng) 70 68 72 69, R Gonzalez (Arg) 71 70 69 69, A Wall (Eng) 68 72 68 71, C Wood  (Eng) 68 68 74 69,

 280 P Casey  (Eng) 66 70 73 71, C Lee (Sco) 69 70 71 70, M Siem  (Ger) 68 72 68 72, L Slattery (Eng) 69 70 70 71, G Havret  (Fra) 70 67 72 71, G Lockerbie  (Eng) 68 70 71 71, R Coles (Eng) 73 68 70 69, J Donaldson (Wal) 67 73 68 72,

 281 S Chowrasia (Ind) 69 70 74 68, S Khan (Eng) 68 73 70 70, D Drysdale (Sco) 69 70 69 73, G Bourdy (Fra) 67 71 71 72,

 282 P Larrazábal (Esp) 71 70 71 70, M Lafeber (Ned) 69 71 71 71, J Campillo (Esp) 69 71 69 73,

 283 M Nixon (Eng) 69 69 73 72, J Kruger (RSA) 70 66 69 78, M Ilonen  (Fin) 71 70 69 73, R Wattel  (Fra) 68 67 71 77, A Tadini (Ita) 70 71 71 71, S Dyson  (Eng) 70 71 73 69, C Doak (Sco) 65 69 71 78,

 284 D Horsey (Eng) 75 66 70 73, M O'Meara (USA) 67 74 71 72, B Wiesberger  (Aut) 71 68 73 72, T Hamilton (USA) 70 68 70 76, T Lewis (Eng) 69 72 74 69,

 285 T Jaidee (Tha) 68 68 73 76, J Gonnet  (Fra) 72 68 73 72, D McGrane (Irl) 68 72 73 72,

 287 O Fisher  (Eng) 69 72 73 73,

 288 E Pepperell (Eng) 68 70 72 78, K Horne (RSA) 68 71 74 75, T Levet (Fra) 68 70 77 73,

 290 J Van Zyl (RSA) 69 71 73 77,