Bet on this tournament & other sports here

Woods hands title to Bjorn on 72nd hole

Denmark's Thomas Bjorn captured the the Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday, winning by two shots over Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington. Woods was tied with Bjorn headed into the final hole but closed with a disastrous double- bogey to remain winless in 2001.

The trouble began for Woods at the tee of the par-five 18th, where his drive went into the brush way right of the fairway. He was able to punch out between a pair of trees, but his ball skipped across the fairway into the left rough. Although Woods' third shot cleared a palm tree that loomed in front of him, his ball came down into the water just short of the green.

Meanwhile, Bjorn knocked his second shot over the back of the green and chipped his ball to within eight feet of the hole. Woods, who was hitting five after the penalty, pitched over the water to the front fringe and two-putted for a seven. Bjorn then two-putted for his par and his sixth career victory on the European Tour.

"I'm quite proud of what I did this week," said Bjorn, who had the added pressure of being paired with Woods for all four rounds of the tournament. "To go out there and play with the guy for four days and beat him is probably any golfer's dream. It takes a lot of doing because he is very impressive and he does intimidate you a little bit when you're out there."

Bjorn posted a final-round 69 to finish with a tournament-record total of 22-under-par 266. Woods carded an even-par 72 on Sunday, while Ireland's Harrington had a 69 to join the world's top-ranked player at 20-under.

"I had an opportunity today but I just made a couple mistakes which cost me," said Woods, who won the European Tour's season-opening Johnnie Walker Classic. "Thomas played really solid all day but I didn't really feel as comfortable as I needed to feel on the final day with my golf swing and my putting stroke. But hats off to Thomas, he played well all week and he deserves the title."

Bjorn became just the fourth player to win an event in which Woods had at least a share of the lead heading into the final round, joining Ed Fiori (1996 Quad City Classic), Lee Westwood (2000 Deutsche Bank-SAP Open) and Phil Mickelson (2000 Tour Championship).

Bjorn put himself in position to win at the par-four 17th, where he matched Woods' approach with a second shot to 10 feet. But while Woods had to settle for par after rolling his birdie attempt by the right side of the cup, Bjorn sank his putt for a share of the lead at 22-under par.

Woods started the day with a one-shot lead over the Dane after surviving a shaky third round that included his first three bogeys of the tournament. The failure to consistently make short putts was a big part of the problem on Saturday, and it continued to plague Woods when he lipped out a four-footer for par at the opening hole.

He regained the advantage with a birdie at the par-five third, then saw his lead grow to two shots when Bjorn missed a six-foot putt to save par at the fifth.

At the eighth, the scene of his first bogey in 44 holes in round three, Woods three-putted from about 60 feet to drop to 19-under and into a tie for the lead with Harrington, who actually had the top spot to himself for a short time after a 30-foot birdie putt at the ninth.

Woods managed to right his ship with birdies at the ninth and 10th. Bjorn then got back into the mix when he rattled home a 20-foot eagle putt at No. 10 for a share of 20-under with Harrington, who soon dropped out of contention with bogeys at the 12th and 15th.

Bjorn courted trouble at the par-five 13th, driving to the base of a tree on the right side of the fairway. Unable to go for the green in two, Bjorn chipped out of the rough then struck a six-iron to 12 feet. He rolled in the birdie putt keep stay within one of Woods, who holed a three-footer to get to 22-under par.

After both players failed to card birdies over the next three holes, Bjorn made the putt at 17 to grab a share of the lead.

Woods has now gone six starts without a win this season. Sunday's was his first finish in the top-three in 2001.

Sweden's Mathias Gronberg (68) and Welshman Ian Woosnam (69) tied for fourth at 18-under par, one stroke ahead of England's Brian Davis (70) and India's Jeev Milkha Singh (71).

South African Trevor Immelman fired a seven-under 65 -- the co- low round of the day -- for solo eighth at minus-16.

Lee Westwood closed with a 70 for joint 17th at 13-under, while Colin Montgomerie, the winner here in 1996, shot 72 for a share of 21st at 12-under par.

Email this page to a friend | Return to top of page