Abu Dhabi: Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal held his nerve and sunk a four-foot birdie on the final hole for a 14-under-part total to clinch a thrilling victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship after star pair Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson fell agonisingly short.
While McIlroy came roaring back into contention after starting the final day three shots off the pace following a two-shot penalty in the third round on Saturday, Mickelson also paid a heavy price for gambling a bit too much.
The left-hander had a triple-bogey seven at the 13th hole, where he picked up a penalty after his tee shot landed in a bush. Mickelson, instead of dropping a stroke, chose to play a right-handed shot that resulted in a double hit.
This left the American three shots off the lead held by Larrazabal at 10-under par. However, the five-time Major winner remained undeterred and shot two more birdies on the 14th and 16th holes to stay in the reckoning for the title. McIlroy also hung in there a shot behind on 12-under going into the final hole and then finished with a birdie for 13-under.
Once Larrazabal completed his final round with a total of 14-under, and with his playing partner McIlroy a shot behind, Mickelson needed an eagle on the final hole to force a play-off. It was a huge ask and Mickelson’s effort fell short.
The American managed a birdie to share second place with McIlroy, while Larrazabal pumped the air with his fists after securing his first win in three years.
Meanwhile, the final day was a huge disappointment for Scotland’s Craig Lee, who was the overnight leader by two shots but who had to settle for joint-10th after shooting a 77.
“It was just one of those days,” said Lee, who lost his advantage after four holes and whose misery was compounded after a double-bogey at the 11th. “I didn’t hit the ball well off the tee and around the course. Like that you are always going to struggle, but I also got unlucky a couple of times.”
India’s Ganganjeet Bhullar, who was in the top three at the start of the day, also faded away and slipped to three-over 75 and dropped to tied-10th.
“Things just didn’t go as I planned,” he said. “I did everything the same [as before] and I really don’t know what to work on my game. At this level you are playing in the same mode of pressure on all four days. That wasn’t the issue. Yes, I missed another opportunity and now will have to look forward to Qatar and Dubai.”
South African George Coetzee also showed a lot of promise and even held the lead for a brief spell. Going into the turn in 33, Coetzee came up with a hat-trick of birdies and breached a six-shot deficit quickly.
At the end, Coetzee and Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello were tied for fourth place on 12-under-par 276.
“I knew I needed a very, very strong finish,” Coetzee said. “That birdie on the 15th after a pretty good iron shot put me [in contention for the title]. At the 16th, I was a bit disappointed I couldn’t get it to the green but still managed par. The 17th was a great birdie, long putt. It was disappointing to not get a birdie at the 18th despite a good tee shot.”
