Westwood wins Race to Dubai as Fitzpatrick lands DP World Tour Championship glory
Sheikh Mansour Bin Mohammed awards Race to Dubai trophy to Lee Westwood at Jumeirah Golf Estate. WAM
Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
A second place finish at DP World Tour Championship was enough for veteran Lee Westwood to secure his second Race to Dubai title as Matt Fitzpatrick landed the season-ending DP World Tour Championship on Sunday.
Overnight leaders Fitzpatrick and Patrick Reed, who was striving to become first American to be the top golfer at the European tour by winning the Race to Dubai title, were seen in a fierce battle on the final day of the DP World Tour Championship.
Fitzpatrick got off to a flying start with four birdies to move on the top of the leaderboard and looked set to claim Race to Dubai crown.
In a hilarious turn of events, Westwood swung into action late and birdied two of his last three holes to finish with a final round 68, finishing second at the DP World Tour Championship and bagging enough points, which fetched him the Race to Dubai glory for the second time in his career.
Westwood finished on 3128 points, 18 points more than that of DP World Tour Championship winner Fitzpatrick, who finished on 3110.2 points.
With the second Race to Dubai title, Westwood joined the elite club of Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Els Ernie and Goosen Retief to have won the prestigious title more twice. McIlroy has won thrice in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
"It's been a bizarre season for so many reasons, the European Tour have done an incredible job to pick the season up again from July and have tournaments on every week," said the 47-year-old Westwood.
"The culmination of it all here, it was a great finish. Thrills and spills, the Race to Dubai up for grabs and the tournament up for grabs."
Fitzpatrick matched his 68 to finish at 15 under, one shot clear of his fellow Englishman at the top of the leaderboard, and win his first Rolex Series title but not good enough to win the Race to Dubai.
Reed entered the week on top of the Race to Dubai rankings and remained there for much of the day but bogeys on the 16th and 17th saw him finish one shot behind Westwood at 13 under.
