Golf: Garcia lands maiden Dubai Desert Classic title

Nice and easy does it. Sergio Garcia didn't buckle and kept it all together to end a three-year drought on the European Tour on Sunday.
The Spaniard showed no signs of nerves despite a fine tussle with reigning Race to Dubai champion and 2007 winner Sweden's Henrik Stenson, to lay his hands on a first Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
Having led all the days barring one, on Friday, Garcia carded a bogey-free round of three-under and 19-under for the tournament, to win by three strokes over the Swede. Playing in the final three-ball with Stenson and Englishman Ian Poulter, Garcia was asked a few questions by a number of challengers, most notably Stenson, as they headed down the stretch at the Majlis Course.
And the 37-year-old responded with three birdies and then headed towards a grandstand finish. There was nothing fancy in there and he showed gumption when he came across a few gremlins, especially on the eighth and 16th, where he saved for par.
Garcia began with a birdie on one, while Stenson and Poulter parred. Elsewhere, George Coetzee, who had led on a storm-affected Friday, was on a bit of a roll as he birdied the first two to go 12-under and third on the leaderboard, one shot off Stenson and five off Garcia. Coetzee continued the charge with another birdie on six for a three-under to go 13-under, four adrift of Garcia. The Spaniard encountered trouble on the par-4 459-yard eighth as he landed his tee shot in the desert, 255 yards from the tee and 185 yards from the pin.
He was not out of the woods yet as his second shot landed the sand bunker. And it took an amazing chip for the sand save before he brilliantly par putted it.
Garcia then birdie putt on nine to go two-under and 18-under overall, while Stenson lay four shots away after a birdie on six gave him 14-under.
Stenson, though moved closer with a birdie on 10, sinking an 18ft birdie, to go within three shots of Garcia, who missed a short birdie and had to settle for par.
But Stenson bogeyed on 12 to drop a shot and go 14-under as Garcia made no further mistakes. He made a birdie on the par-3 15 before saving for par on 16.
Stenson's mini battle with Garcia ended though after he bogeyed on 15, despite twin birdies on 13 and 14. The Swede wrapped his round with a birdie on 18 as Garcia brought the curtains down on the final instalment of the Desert Swing.
james@khaleejtimes.com