March 11, 2002	Monday	Zilhaj 26, 1422

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

DUBAI, March 10: South Africa’s Ernie Els fired a closing 69 as he romped to a four-shot victory in the Dubai Desert Classic Sunday and his third title of the year.

The World number three claimed his third stroke play victory in succession with a closing three-under-par 69 for a 16-under-par winning total on the Emirates course.

Els has become the first player in Dubai Desert Classic history to win twice, just a week after keeping Tiger Woods at arms’ reach to clinch the Genuity Championship on the US PGA Tour.

Sweden’s Niclas Fasth, despite drawing level with the South African after eight holes, ended in a distant second place at 12-under-par and one stroke clear of compatriot Carl Pettersson.

England’s Brian Davis recorded the lowest round of the day, a five-under-par 67, to grab fourth place at nine-under-par.

Michael Hoey, the 23-year-old reigning British Amateur champion from Northern Ireland, impressed to finish joint 12th in only his sixth European Tour event, a day after confirming he will turn professional after next month’s US Masters.

Els won last month’s Heineken Classic in Australia by a similar four stroke margin.

The victory is also the South African’s 10th win on the regular European Tour and his 36th title triumph worldwide in a 12-year professional career, while he is 50-under-par in the three tournaments won on the bounce.

Fasth, chasing a second Tour win, had begun the final round three strokes behind Els before managing to draw level with a birdie at the seventh.

Els had earlier started his round bogey, birdie, birdie and then watched in dismay as his par putt horse-shod on him at the fourth.

But Fasth was forced to take a crippling triple bogey ‘seven’ at the eighth hole after his tee shot had landed in a small bush in desert wasteland.

The 29-year-old European Ryder Cup rookie hacked his ball out across the fairway to wasteland before finding the green with his fourth. He then three-putted.

Els realised the tournament was his for the taking and soon moved four strokes clear when he birdied the ninth.

Fasth staged a mini-fightback with birdies at 12 and 13 to get back to within two of his more fancied rival but the contest was effectively ended by a two stroke swing in Els’s favour at the par four 16th when Els birdied and Fasth bogeyed.

Leading final round scores (British unless stated, a-denotes amateur):

272 — Ernie Els (South Africa) 68, 68, 67, 69.

276 — Niclas Fasth (Sweden) 68, 69, 69, 70.

277 — Carl Pettersson (Sweden) 70, 73, 65, 69.

280 — Gary Evans 70, 71, 72, 68; Charlie Wi (South Korea) 68, 67, 77, 69.

282 — Bradley Dredge 74, 70, 69, 69; Mathias Groenberg (Sweden) 72, 70, 71, 69; Darren Clarke 72, 73, 68, 69; Simon Dyson 71, 68, 73, 70; Andrew Oldcorn 75, 66, 69, 72.

283 — Anders Forsbrand (Sweden) 74, 66, 75, 68; Sam Torrance 68, 71, 75, 69; Soren Kjeldsen (Denmark) 74, 70, 69, 70; a-Michael Hoey 74, 68, 70, 71; Klas Eriksson (Sweden) 72, 74, 66, 71; Rolf Muntz (Netherlands) 70, 75, 67, 71; Greg Owen 71, 70, 70, 72; Paul Broadhurst 69, 70, 71, 73.

GIBSON TRIUMPHS

MANILA: Canadian Rick Gibson cruised to a four-shot victory in the Philippine Open Sunday for his first title on the Asian PGA Tour.

The Manila-based Gibson, who led the field by six strokes overnight, fired a closing 73 at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club to finish at five-under-par 283.

The 41-year-old Canadian, who won the Asian PGA Tour order of merit in 1991, completed a commanding wire-to-wire victory in the event.—Reuters