Westwood picks Europe's biggest prize, Jeev finishes 13th

By V. Krishnaswamy, Dubai, Nov 22: Lee Westwood outplayed the field with a stunning course record of eight-under 64 and took home Europe's biggest prize, winning both the Dubai World Championships golf and the Race to Dubai.

The twin wins coming with a 23-under 265 gave him a winner's cheque of $1.25 million for the Dubai World Championships and an additional $1.5 million for emerging as the Race to Dubai champion.

Jeev Milkha Singh (70) bogeyed his last hole, going into the water, bisecting the fairway, and ended at eight-under 280 and in tied 13th place, which earned him $135,000.

"My aim was a top-10 and I think I left a few shots out there or it could have been better. The key was putting, and I was not aggressive enough," said Jeev, who will next week play the World Cup and Golf Nippon Series in Japan.

Jeev had two bogeys and one birdie on the front nine, but he seemed to roar back to form with a birdie-eagle on 13th and 14th and then anther biirdie on 17th seem to take him closer to top-10. He hit the water on 18th and dropped a bogey.

Ross McGowan (68) put up a decent fight, but Westwood seemed to be in a zone. McGowan ended second at 17-under 271 while Rory McIlroy, who led the Race to Dubai before this event was third in the championships, but finished second in the Money List, which will earn him a Bonus of US $ 1.125 million.

Martin Kaymer was third in the Race to Dubai and Ross Fisher fourth.

McGowan's prize US $ 833,330 almost doubled his previous earnings of US $ 843,045 and it also catapulted him into the top-15 for a share of Bonus pool.

Westwood opened up a commanding six-stroke lead by racing to the turn in just 31 strokes at the Dubai World Championship presented by: DP World today.

Trying to become just the third player in European Tour history to win the money list by capturing the final counting event - a double that this year is worth over euros 1.77 million - Westwood grabbed five birdies in the first seven holes.

He had been only two in front of fellow Englishman Ross McGowan overnight, with Race to Dubai rival Rory McIlroy five back in third, but with nine holes to play Westwood was 20 under and next best were McGowan and Australian Geoff Ogilvy on 14 under.

McIlroy, who bogeyed the final three holes of his third round, could only par the first eight and dropped to seventh, but he did then have a hat-trick of birdies and on 13 under shared fourth with Sergio Garcia.

McIlroy had come back to life and made it five birdies in six holes, but Westwood continued on his merry way and with further birdie putts of six feet on the tenth and 12 feet at the 13th he was 22 under and still six in front.