Westwood shoots course record, wins twin titles; Jeev ends 13th

By V. Krishnaswamy, Dubai, Nov 22: A trip into the water on the very last hole saw Jeev Milkha Singh miss out on a chance to make the top-10 in the inaugural Dubai World Championships at the Earth Course here Sunday.

The Indian ace shot a final round of two-under 70, including an eagle on the par-5 14th hole, for a total of eight-under 280.

The tie for 13th earned him a cheque of $135,000 and took his year's earnings from Europe to just over $893,000.

Meanwhile, overnight leader Lee Westwood shot a new course record for a flawless 64 and outplayed the field with a total of 23-under 265 to score a six-shot win over Ross McGowan (68).

McGowan totalled 17-under 271, while Rory McIlroy, leader on the Money List coming into this tournament, was third after a round of 67 for a total of 15-under 273.

Jeev had mixed feelings about the week. "I played well, but did not putt well. My aim was a top-10 and I think I left a few shots out there or it could have been better, " Jeev said, who next week plays 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 birdie on 17th seem to take him closer to top-10. He hit the water on 18th and dropped a bogey.

It was Westwood's biggest payday as he took home Europe's biggest prize, winning the Dubai World Championships and the Race to Dubai. The twin successes brought him a tournament 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 (the Order of Merit) champion.

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 1.77 million euros- Westwood grabbed five birdies in the first seven holes. From there on it was a one-horse race.

Westwood's four rounds were an astonishing 66-69-66-64 and he had just two bogeys in the week and he was bogeyfree over the last 46 holes. His two bogeys were on the 14th on first day and eighth on second day.

In a season littered with top-10 and close misses at Majors, it was the second win for Westwood, who earlier won Portugal Masters.

McIlroy, who may have blown his chances on the closing three holes on Saturday - with three bogeys from 16th to 18th - was six-under through 17 before a bogey on 18th.

McGowan (68), not a factor in the Race to Dubai, put up a great show through the 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.

Geoff Ogilvy (67) and Padraig Harrington (68) shared the fourth place, while Alexander Noren (69) was sixth in 13-under and Adam Scott (68) notched his third straight top-10 in shared seventh place with Sergio Garcia (69) at 12-under 276.

Martin Kaymer was third in the Race to Dubai and Ross Fisher fourth. Kaymer (72) ended 36th at two-under 286 while Fisher was tied 42nd with a final round of 73 at one-under 287.

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