SHANE LOWRY’S HOPES of success in the Abu Dhabi Championship faded with a final round of 77 as Belgium’s Thomas Pieters ended up the winner.
Lowry fired a 67 yesterday to lie on 10-under after three rounds, just a single shot behind leader Scotland’s Scott Jamieson.
But the Offaly native’s form deserted him in the final round with two costly holes scuppering his chances of glory, a triple-bogey on the first and a double bogey on the seventh.
He finished in a tie for 12th with Jamieson, the overnight leader, also hitting a 77 to finish in a tie for 10th.
Rory McIlroy hit a 69 to match Lowry on five-under for the tournament with Padraig Harrington a shot further back on four-under.
.@Thomas_Pieters wins the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 🏆 #ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/ETHNHrDroM
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 23, 2022
The damage was done for Lowry by that poor start with a misjudged fairway shot paving the way for the eventual triple-bogey. A birdie on the 4th helped steady him before a double-bogey on the par-five 7th. After that Lowry’s form was consistent, pars on 10 of his remaining 11 holes and just one further dropped shot on the 16th.
Pieters delivered a composed final round to claim the biggest win of his career with this victory. Pieters, who turns 30 next week, finished one shot clear of Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello and 450-1 outsider Shubhankar Sharma, to take his sixth DP World Tour triumph and the £1million winner’s prize.
Frenchman Victor Dubuisson took a tie for fourth alongside Viktor Hovland, while defending champion Tyrrell Hatton recorded an eagle and four birdies to finish three shots back in sixth place with countrymen Ian Poulter and James Morrison.
Rory McIlroy will be pondering what might have been after he moved to within two of the lead, courtesy of a superb 141-yard eagle on the par-four ninth and a birdie on 13.
But his round fell apart with three bogeys in the final five holes – the Ulsterman eventually ending the week with a three-under 69 in a tie for 12th.
“Honestly, I am just happy that I got to play an extra two days,” said McIlroy.
“I had to make a birdie on the last hole on Friday night just to be here, and I almost made the most of the weekend.
“I played well yesterday, and really well today through 13, and then a couple of loose shots coming in cost me.
“It wasn’t the finish I wanted, but big-picture wise it was good to play another 36 holes and assess where everything is and know what to work on.”
- Additional reporting by Press Association
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