• Flawless Hansen claims second European Tour win in Dubai

    Joachim B Hansen
    Joachim B Hansen wins in Dubai
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    Joachim B Hansen produced a brilliant display of front running to sign for a closing bogey-free 68 and win the AVIV Dubai Championship.

    The Dane entered the final day at Jumeriah Golf Estates in a share of top spot but a birdie on the first handed him a lead he would never relinquish as he finished a shot ahead of Italian Francesco Laporta and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger at 23 under.

    Wiesberger birdied five of his last seven holes over the Fire Course to surge up the leaderboard with a closing 65, while Laporta was applying the pressure all day in a bogey-free 69.

    Thai Jazz Janewattananond, Australian Min Woo Lee, defending champion Antoine Rozner and England’s Andy Sullivan finished the week at 20 under.

    Hansen claims his second European Tour win eight days short of the first anniversary of his maiden victory at the 2020 Joburg Open and makes it four Danish wins in the last 10 European Tour events.

    The triumph also moves Hansen to 43rd on the Race to Dubai Rankings and seals his place in the field for next week’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.

    The 31-year-old was travelling alone when he won in South Africa last year but he was delighted to have his family at the side of the 18th green as he holed the winning putt this time.

    “It means a lot, especially with family here and friends this time, there was nothing in Joburg,” he said. “When I saw Jeff Winther win in Mallorca I was very jealous because he had all the family and friends celebrating and I really wanted that. I’m really glad I get to experience that.”

    Hansen has now made just one bogey in his last 83 holes and while he felt he played some of the best golf of his career over the first three days in Dubai, he was happy to be able to grind out a win on Sunday.

    “I really struggled to find the middle of the club on the woods so I didn’t drive it well – the putter helped me today, I putted a lot better today than yesterday so that kept me in the game,” he added.

    Rozner put a flick to 12 feet at the short par-four first but Hansen followed him in from 10 feet to take the solo lead.

    The leader played a poor bunker shot on the par-five seventh but holed a brilliant putt from off the green for a four, a score matched in more routine fashion by Laporta and Rozner to keep the gap at one.

    Hansen recovered from a poor tee shot at the 10th to put his second to four feet and lead by two but Laporta trimmed the advantage from 12 feet at the next after all three of the final group had given themselves good looks at birdie.

    A wonderful second into the par-five 13th saw Hansen make another birdie after narrowly missing out on an eagle, while Laporta got up and down for a gain of his own to keep the pressure on.

    Wiesberger had bogeyed the second but he birdied the two par fives on the front nine – almost pitching in for an eagle at the seventh – and made further gains on the ninth and 12th.

    A tee shot to six feet at the 14th was followed by an approach to 15 feet at the next and, when he got up and down at the driveable par-four 16th for another, he was just two back.

    A ragged tee shot on the 15th led to a double bogey for Rozner and it was looking like a three-horse race over the closing three holes, with Wiesberger likely to need an eagle on the par-five last.

    The two-time Rolex Series champion made a two-putt birdie to get within one but that was as close as he would get as Hansen parred his way home.

    Frenchman Rozner bounced back from his disappointment at the 15th with birdies on the 16th and last to sign for a 70.

    Sullivan made five birdies in a row from the 13th and then eagled the last as he signed for a 65 but misses out on a place in the field next week by one spot.

    Jane Wattananond also eagled the last in a 67, while Lee signed for a 68 to finish a shot ahead of American Sean Crocker, Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, Pole Adrian Meronk, Dane Thorbjorn Olesen and Finn Kalle Samooja.

    Leaderboard

    – Report from europeantour.com

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