Mark O'Meara gains first win for 6 years

Twice major champion Mark O'Meara rolled back the years with an emotional one-shot victory at the Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday.

The 47-year-old American, whose last official tour win was the 1998 British Open at Royal Birkdale, fired a closing three-under-par 69 to finish on 17-under 271.

Having started the day tied for the lead with Ireland's Paul McGinley, he was never headed in the final round, mixing four birdies with a solitary bogey at a sun-drenched Emirates Golf Club.

McGinley, bidding for his first European Tour success since the 2001 Wales Open, had a 50-foot putt for eagle at the last but had to settle for a birdie and a round of 70 to secure second place at 16 under.

Twice winner Ernie Els (65) was a further two shots back in a share of third with Britain's David Howell (67), while world number one Tiger Woods tied for fifth after closing with a 68.

O'Meara, who also won the 1998 U.S. Masters at the age of 41 to become the oldest player to clinch two majors in a single season, hit every green in regulation on the back nine and parred the last seven holes to seal his long-awaited victory.

"It's very gratifying any time you win a golf tournament, especially one of this stature," he told reporters. "This is a big day for me, a dream come true.

"You always wonder when you're battling, you haven't won and your confidence is low, whether you'll have that chance (to win) again.

"This week, fortunately, I had that chance. I kept good check of my emotions and I hit some wonderful putts," added O'Meara, who has revitalised his game with a revamped putting grip that he describes as "The Saw".

Although Woods and world number three Els mounted last-day charges, they had too much ground to make up.

Woods began the round six off the lead and closed to within three after three early birdies and an eagle-three at the par-four 10th. He fell back, though, with bogeys at 14 and 17 before a birdie on 18 lifted him to 12 under.

Els, champion in 1994 and 2002, had an even bigger task in the final round, his disappointing third-round 72 having left him eight strokes behind the leaders.

However, the big-hitting South African steadily climbed the leaderboard with seven birdies in the first 14 holes before parring in for a share of third at 13-under 275.

"I got it going today a little bit, but just didn't make enough putts again," Els said. "I felt I played well at times and just made some silly errors."

McGinley and O'Meara played the first three rounds together, matching each other most of the way with a string of birdies on the par-72 Majlis course, and it was little different on the final day.

The pair started three clear of the chasing pack at 14-under 202 and O'Meara took the early advantage, a hat-trick of birdies from the par-five third taking him one ahead of McGinley, who picked up shots at three and five.

O'Meara bogeyed the sixth and both parred the next two holes before McGinley faltered with a bogey-five at the ninth.

The American failed to sink an 18-foot birdie putt but went into the final nine holes with a one-shot lead.

That advantage was doubled at the par-three 11th where the American hit his tee shot to just four feet and although McGinley birdied the 13th to cut O'Meara's lead to one shot, he fell back again with a bogey at the 14th.

McGinley's birdie at the last trimmed the American's lead back to one, but O'Meara always looked in control.

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