Resurgent Sergio - Qatar Masters Wrap-up

Post from Sports Writer Derek Clements

Sergio Garcia climbed back into the top 10 in the world rankings thanks to a thrilling final-round charge in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Doha.

The Spaniard, who was seemingly out of contention after the opening three rounds, produced a stunning final round of 65, which left him in a tie with Finland's Mikko Ilonen. Garcia had a chance to win on the 72nd green, but missed a five-foot birdie putt.

The 34-year-old played superbly all day, holing a chip and several long birdie putts as he chipped away at the three-shot overnight lead of countryman Rafa Cabrera-Bello.

Garcia, who has long struggled with short putts, holed out beautifully all day long, with the help of the pencil grip he adopted a couple of years ago.

Ilonen came to the 72nd hole knowing that he needed a birdie four to tie with Garcia. He dumped his second shot into a greenside bunker and then played out to 25 feet. It seemed that his chance had gone, but Ilonen then rammed home the putt.

The players then returned to the 18th tee. First time around they both birdied it. On their second visit, Ilonen put his second 15 feet from the hole, while Garcia found the bunker. The Spaniard almost holed his bunker shot, while Ilonen missed his effort for eagle, so it was back to the 18th tee again.

This time it was the Finnish golfer's turn to find the sand, and his recovery rolled fully 15 feet beyond the hole. Garcia rolled his eagle putt to within a couple of inches and when Ilonen missed, the Spaniard was the champion.

The victory moved him into second place in the Race to Dubai behind Thomas Bjorn and sealed his placed in Europe's Ryder Cup team.

Afterwards, it was revealed that a contract had been signed that guarantees the future of the tournament for at least another three years.

It was Garcia's first European Tour victory since the 2011 Andalucía Masters and the 11th of his career. He said: “It’s been a bit of a wait for my 11th win, I came close a few times last season, including here in Qatar, but didn’t quite manage to get the job done. So it’s nice to get the win, and great to get more Ryder Cup points on the board.

“I feel like my game’s coming together really nicely – although I wouldn’t have said that after the first round, when I played terribly but shot one of the best rounds of 71 in my career. So to recover from that and grind out a win does an awful lot for my confidence, and the rest of the season excites me.”

Ilonen was pleased with his week’s work. He said: “I played good golf this week, so I can’t be too disappointed. I gave it my best shot, but Sergio was a bit better this time. There’s no shame in losing to a great player like him.”

Cabrera-Bello finished in a tie for third place on 15 under par alongside Thorbjørn Olesen after the pair carded respective rounds of 69 and 68.

John Daly, who had been in contention after 36 holes, closed out with rounds of 77 and 73 to finish on two under par, 14 shots behind Garcia.

Another Spaniard, Pablo Larrazabal, won the Abu Dhabi championship last week, and if you are looking for a possible third Spanish winner at this week's Dubai Desert Classic then Alvaro Quiros might be worth a flutter. After an injury-hit couple of seasons, he is showing welcome signs of a return to form, and he loves Dubai.

A stellar cast in Dubai will be led by Tiger Woods, who will be looking to put his disastrous third round form at Torrey Pines behind him.

Photo Credit: European Tour Facebook (www.facebook.com/TheEuropeanTour)

Derek Clements is a sports journalist with a particular passion for golf with over 12 years of experience covering golf and other sports including Chief Sub-Editor on the sports desk of The Sunday Times. To contact Derek email direct via [email protected]

Related Articles

European Tour -Desert swing preview 2014

Arnold Palmer- Still the king of the castle

Talking Point: Will Sergio Garcia ever grow up?