Sergio Garcia ends European Tour drought at Dubai Desert Classic
Spain’s Sergio Garcia toasted an early-season tonic after claiming his first European Tour title for three years at the Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday.
Garcia carded a blemish-free final round of 69 to finish on 19 under par and complete a wire-to-wire victory.
Open champion Henrik Stenson was Garcia’s closest challenger on 16 under par, with Tyrrell Hatton tied for third and fellow Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick in a share of fifth.
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“I’m very happy to play the way I played,” said Garcia, 37, who responded to Stenson’s charge on the back nine with a superb tee shot at 15 to open up a four-shot lead.
“The way I handled some of the key moments and to beat Henrik – we all now how great a player he is. It’s a great start to the year so we’re going to try to keep going the same way.”
Hatton, 25, continued his strong start to the year, having led going into the final day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on his 2017 debut last month.
Compatriot Ian Poulter, who started Sunday five shots adrift of Garcia, closed with a disappointing 76 to share 15th place.