Lancashire’s Tommy Fleetwood held off US Open champion Dustin Johnson and 2014 winner Pablo Larrazábal to win his second European Tour title at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
The Southport man’s birdie on the par five closing hole proved decisive, sealing a final round of 67 and a winning total of 17 under par.
That was beyond the reach of Spaniard Larrazábal, who birdied the last for a round of 68 to finish one shot short, and Johnson, who eagled the 18th to also sign for a 68 and a 16 under par total.
Martin Kaymer, the three-time champion who had set the pace for much of the final round, dropped two shots in four holes on the back nine, but also finished with an eagle in a round of 69 to share fourth place alongside Bernd Wiesberger and Kiradech Aphibarnrat.
After a level par front nine, Fleetwood’s challenge was enhanced by a chip-in eagle on the 10th, and he followed that with birdies on the 11th, 16th and 18th holes. That latter birdie earned the 26 year old his first win since his maiden European Tour title at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in 2013.
“I thought maybe my second win would come sooner to be honest,” said Fleetwood, who picked up over €420,000 for the victory. “It’s been a massive comeback. On 18 I got a good break. It took me a few drops to get the perfect spot, but I just had a go at it. You’ve got to take those chances if you want to win. To be honest, that was easier than the four-foot putt to win in the end.
Dustin Johnson and Pablo Larazabal tied for second just one shot behind Fleetwood
He added: “I had a really hard time from July 2015 to July last year, where I really struggled with my game. It’s been an awkward curve. I tried changing my swing because I thought it would make me better, but it went the other way. The only thing left was to get a win, and I kept thinking it would come, but I didn’t really think it would be this week. It just shows how unpredictable golf can be.”
“I’m happy that I sort of proved myself in such a strong field. I think the winning scores are always pretty much the same but it’s a very big deal to sort of prove yourself against some of the world’s best. Thirty one on the back nine on a Sunday is great, no matter who you are, and I think that’s probably what I’m most proud of over the week.”
Fleetwood’s victory came with a full set of Nike clubs in the bag, despite his sponsor pulling out of the equipment business last August. “I’ve used Nike clubs since I was 13,” Fleetwood said. “At the moment, it’s the best equipment for me. When Nike were making clubs, it was the best for me then. I’m not going to change just for the sake of it now that we have a chance.”
Third-round leader Tyrrell Hatton slipped back into a tie for 13th with a final round 75, following earlier rounds of 67, 68 and 68. The Buckinghamshire man bogeyed the 3rd, 6th, 10th, 11th and 12th, but managed a birdie on the last to move up inside the top 15. Henrik Stenson who shot an opening round 64, fell back with subsequent rounds of 71, 71 and 69, and finished tied eighth with fellow Ryder Cup player Lee Westwood, who produced two rounds of 69 over the weekend.
Leading final scores
271 T Fleetwood (Eng) 67 67 70 67
272 D Johnson (USA) 72 68 64 68, P Larrazábal (Esp) 68 67 69 68
273 M Kaymer (Ger) 66 66 72 69, K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 66 68 70 69, B Wiesberger (Aut) 68 69 68 68
274 D Burmester (RSA) 69 70 66 69
275 P Hanson (Swe) 68 69 68 70, L Westwood (Eng) 68 69 69 69, H Stenson (Swe) 64 71 71 69
276 J Wang (Kor) 68 67 70 71
277 M Kieffer (Ger) 70 67 69 71
278 B An (Kor) 69 69 67 73, T Aiken (RSA) 71 70 69 68, B Grace (RSA) 68 70 69 71, T Hatton (Eng) 67 68 68 75, A Noren (Swe) 71 67 68 72, A Björk (Swe) 69 72 67 70
280 R Fisher (Eng) 69 69 68 74, B Dredge (Wal) 68 69 70 73, R Cabrera Bello (Esp) 67 66 74 73, R Fox (Nzl) 69 71 69 71,
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