What looked like a clear path to the Abu Dhabi Championship title ended up being a squeeze for the American on Sunday. The Abbotsford, B.C., product was tied atop the leaderboard as he moved to the back nine on Sunday, but bogeys on 12, 13 and 15 derailed his shot at a first win.
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Fowler started the final round with back-to-back birdies, but he got in trouble with a double bogey on seven.
A run of eight straight pars allowed the chasing pack, led initially by playing partner Pieters, to get within a shot again, with Stenson then carding three birdies in the last four holes and McIlroy playing his last seven in five under, including an eagle from 35 feet on the last. “This was a good start, hopefully I can keep it going”, said Kapur, who plans to play as much as he can in Europe and also on Asian Tour.
After a flawless 65 in the delayed third round yesterday morning, Fowler carded a closing 69 to finish a shot ahead of Belgium’s Thomas Pieters. The Californian native was a victor on the European Tour at last year’s Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and is on track to claim a second after completing his third tour of the Abu Dhabi GC.
This is a huge win for Fowler and with it he climbs from sixth in the world golf rankings to fourth; jumping both Henrik Stenson and Bubba Watson in the process. So this is the highest, or lowest, however you want to say it, I’ve been ranked.
The 53-year-old Waldorf shot a 6-under 66 to finish at 18-under 198 in Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii. I think it’s still too early for this talk. “It shows in certain places, and this week, the first day I was here, I was striping it and since then, I was just a little weak”, he said.
The 26-year-old Northern Irish world number three produced another good performance at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship as he got his 2016 up and running with a tie for third. “But like we said, I’m going to celebrate this and really focus on getting ready for Augusta and go from there”. “I’m not 100 percent right”.
The championship went down to the wire. McIlroy gave Fowler a run for his money by making birdie at 16, par at 17 and a fantastic eagle on 18. “Next time maybe some more putts drop, that’s it”.
McIlroy, who has now finished runner-up four times and third once in the last six years in Abu Dhabi, was left to rue a poor finish to his third round and the start of the fourth.
Finishing just one shot behind Fowler was Belgian-born Thomas Pieters.
With a packed schedule this summer due to golf’s return to the Olympic Games, Rory McIlroy has said categorically that he won’t be there, while Fowler was a little more reserved when it came to the question. “I had 22 birdies, 20 of them in last three rounds”.
Dufner finished with a 2-under 70 to match Lingmerth at 25-under 263. I walk away with five and then go to the next hole and just try to hop back on the horse.
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Dufner stayed alive on the first extra hole with an 11-foot par putt after having to lay up on his second shot from near the lip in a right-side bunker.
