DP World Tour Championship: Key Takeaways From Day 4
With the week and the season now all wrapped up at the DP World Tour Championship, what are the key storylines to emerge from Dubai?
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It’s been a pretty special season for the European Tour, and fittingly, it concluded on Sunday in Dubai at the DP World Tour Championship with some suitable drama.
Although there were no late swings in the Race to Dubai battle, the outcome of the DP World Tour Championship itself went right to the final green.
Matthew Fitzpatrick ultimately prevailed with the biggest win of his young career to date, but having stood on the 18th tee trailing by a shot it took some help from Tyrrell Hatton and his own stellar finish to seal the deal.
While there was no shortage of excitement with the tournament in the balance, the scores further down the field left the crowd with plenty to cheer about too.
Henrik Stenson and Rory McIlroy closed out their seasons with matching 65s, as did Chris Wood and Jorge Campillo
What were the key takeaways from the final day’s play at the Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Earth Course though? Let’s take a closer look.
Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Henrik Stenson Wins The Race To Dubai
He didn’t win the tournament, but it only seems right to start with Henrik Stenson, the man who prevailed from the tournament within the tournament. Stenson did what he needed to do this week, sealing the Race to Dubai for the second time in his career.
In a year that saw the Swede pick up his first major championship and claim silver at the Olympic Games, with both of those accolades achieved through some of the best final round battles we’ve seen in recent years, it was fitting for Stenson to close out with a 65 and cement his status as his tour’s best player this year.
The Swede took his game to new heights in 2016, and with his recent form there’s no reason to believe he’s going to show any signs of slowing down next season. A player of the year trophy looks likely to follow.
Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Fitzpatrick Shows Nerves Of Steel
There’s currently no shortage of talented youngsters emerging in the world game, but with three wins in just over 12 months and a Ryder Cup debut earlier this year, there may not be anyone more impressive than Matthew Fitzpatrick.
At just 22 years old, Fitzpatrick has shown that not only is game strong enough to compete with the world’s best, but that he has the resolve to deliver too. The Englishman closed out the tournament with a round of 67 and made a vital closing birdie to take home the win.
Considering the quality of the field, this win marks easily the biggest moment of Fitzpatrick’s young career so far. Already thriving at such a young age, it’s hard to put a limit on what Fitzpatrick could achieve in the coming years.
Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
McIlroy Left To Rue Slow Start
With Henrik Stenson finishing the week in the top-10, there was never really a chance for Rory McIlroy to get his hands on the Race to Dubai this week, but he did miss a genuine chance to pick up an end of season win.
McIlroy finished five shots back of the eventual winning margin, a gap that could have easily been closed if not for a disastrous opening round of 75.
While rounds of 68, 68 and 65 followed to prove that you can never truly write McIlroy out of a tournament, even just an average opening round by his standards likely would have seen the Northern Irishman defend in Dubai.
Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
DP World Tour Championship – Day 4 Leaderboard
1 – Matthew Fitzpatrick – 67 (-17)
2 – Tyrrell Hatton – 68 (-16)
3 – Charl Schwartzel – 67 (-14)
T4 – Nicolas Colsaerts – 71 (-13)
T4 – Victor Dubuisson – 72 (-13)
T4 – Soren Kjeldsen – 68 (-13)
T4 – Francesco Molinari – 70 (-13)
T4 – Bernd Wiesberger – 68 (-13)
This marks the end of the European Tour season for 2015-16. Many of the Tour’s best players will be in action starting on Thursday in the World Cup of Golf, while European Tour action resumes proper on December 1 in Australia.
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