Jimenez wins playoff in Dubai
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2010 Dubai Desert Classic | Round Four | 08 Feb 2010
At the age of 46 it seems that Miguel Angel Jimenez just keeps getting better. His playoff victory over Lee Westwood in today’s final round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic completed the Spaniard’s 16th European Tour victory, nine of which have come in his forties.
A two time runner up in Dubai, Jimenez dodged two bullets in the opening two holes of the playoff before Westwood missed a six foot putt at the third and opened the door for the winner to hole from four feet for the victory.
Jimenez narrowly avoided the water with his approach at the first extra hole after laying up with his second then was forced to hole from 12 feet at the 2nd to keep the playoff alive. Westwood had putts of 10 and 16 feet at the opening two holes of the playoff to settle things but missed on both occasions.
“I feel comfortable on the golf course – that is the key. I am not 25 or 30, I have just turned 46 but I’m still healthy and still strong. Not like I was when I was 25, but still strong and I can still play the ball. And if I feel happy and can focus, then you can win.”
His greater comfort zone this week might have been the result of a switch to a new caddie. Jimenez engaged the services of a friend, Mark.
“Yeah, I feel like I need to change from Henrik, the caddie, to him,” said Jimenez earlier in the week. “He (Henrik) was a very, very nice guy but I feel a little lonely on the golf course. Now I have this friend, Mark, he’s from South Africa, who is living here. He has a business here and he caddies for me here and he caddied before and he knows very well the game, and we are very close friends. And that’s what you need on the golf course; then you feel happy and so that he can understand you and know you.”
One can only imagine how his previous caddie is now feeling.
The final day developed into a battle between as many as six players with Alvaro Quiros taking the lead through 11 holes before bogeys at three of his last four holes cost him any chance.
Westwood started the final round in a share of the lead with Jimenez, Thongchai Jaidee and Alvaro Quiros and when he birdied the 3rd and 4th holes he appeared to have taken a stranglehold on the tournament. No sooner had he done that however than he faltered. He dropped four shots in the middle of his round allowing Quiros to move ahead.
Jimenez joined Quiros in the lead before the long hitting Quiros self imploded.
Westwood needed one extra birdie to catch Jimenez and it came at the final hole before two to Europe’s most credentialed stars returned to the 18th tee to fight it out.
Jaidee finished alone in third position while Martin Kaymer and Edoardo Molinari finished in a share of 4th.
Perhaps the performance of the week came from 60 year old Tom Watson whose final round of 68 moved him from 28th to a share of 8th.
The leading Australian was Marcus Fraser who struggled to a final round of 75 after being in contention heading into the final day. He finished in a share of 11th while former winner Richard green was 15th and Brett Rumford 56th.
The European Tour now moves to New Delhi where it will join forces with the Asian Tour for the Avantha Masters.
