Gary the new stal-wart

Unheralded Frenchman Gary Stal sensationally chased down long-time leader Martin Kaymer to win the 10^th Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship with a previously unthinkable one-shot victory here on Sunday.

Resuming the fourth and final day’s play with a seemingly insurmountable six-stroke lead, three-time champion Kaymer birdied three of the first four holes to put even further distance between him and the chasing pack.

However, having got to within one shot of his own course record with 14 holes left to play, the 30-year-old German then inexplicably suffered a mid-round implosion that ultimately left the door ajar for the world number 357.

A bogey on the par-four sixth hole was followed by double and triple bogeys on the ninth and 13^th respectively as Kaymer’s pristine game — and fourth championship dream — began to unravel drastically.

Stal didn’t need a second invitation either as he carded seven birdies from holes four to 16 in a bogey-free round to clinch his first-ever European Tour title at the 41^st attempt with a 19-under par 269.

World number one Rory McIlroy rallied strongly to finish as the runner-up for the fourth time in five years, with Kaymer back in third place on 17-under (271).

“I played very well today (Sunday) and I’m very happy to win,” Stal said in the immediate aftermath of his shock success.

“When I saw my name on the leaderboard, I thought to myself: ‘It’s possible, so take that chance and go get it!’”

Stal finished tied for fifth at the South African Open Championship in Johannesburg last week and that clearly proved perfect preparation for the on-course challenges at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, particularly those found off the fairway.

“It was a good test for this week because the rough is similar,” he added. “I will celebrate this with my friends and my dad. I want to say thank you to my (late) mum (Christine) and dad.”

In a good week for French golf, Stal’s fellow compatriot Victor Dubuisson finished with a share of fourth on 16-under (272) alongside Thomas Pieters, of Belgium.

With this turnaround triumph, Stal could move up to just inside the top 100 in the world rankings when they are updated on Monday.

He will take home the winner’s cheque of €379,798 and has now accrued 408,465 points in the 2015 Race to Dubai (R2D) standings, where Stal is currently third.

He also has secured a place in this year’s WGC (World Golf Championship) Bridgestone Invitational and European Tour exemption until the end of the 2017 season.

alex@khaleejtimes.com