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McIlroy Locks Up Race To Dubai Title
SINGAPORE | Having already won his second
major championship, ascended to the summit
of the Official World Golf Ranking and played
his part in Europe’s stunning Ryder Cup comeback, Rory McIlroy has now set the seal on the
most glittering season of his career by winning
The Race to Dubai for the first time.
After collecting €289,296 for finishing in
third place at the Barclays Singapore Open,
McIlroy took his season’s earnings to
€ 3,696,597. With his closest challenger, Peter
Hanson, not playing until the season-ending DP
World Tour Championship in Dubai, the Northern Irishman has now established an unassailable lead at the top of The Race to Dubai.
In so doing, McIlroy – who will defend his
UBS Hong Kong Open title this week before
moving onto Dubai the week after – has emulated the feats of his Ryder Cup teammate Luke
Donald, who won the money title on both sides
of the Atlantic last season.
Aged 23 years and 191 days, McIlroy becomes the youngest player to be crowned
European No. 1 since Scotland’s Sandy Lyle,
who was 21 when he won the Harry Vardon Trophy in 1979 and 22 when he repeated the feat
the following year.
Phil Mickelson was looking to finish his 2012
season on a positive note at last week’s Barclays
Singapore Open, where he finished T14.
The left-handed American has had mixed for-
tunes this year, with a victory at the AT&T Pebble
Beach National Pro-Am followed by a slump
in form, before a complete overhaul of the 42-year-
old’s game brought a turnaround in fortunes.
After finishing fourth, second and 15th in the
last three FedEx Cup events, Mickelson formed a
formidable partnership with Keegan Bradley at
the Ryder Cup and played some stunning golf in
one of the great singles clashes with Justin Rose
– the Englishman holing three lengthy putts over
the closing holes to snatch a 1-up victory.
“I’ve had a really tough three or four months
when I played some of my worst golf in my
career, but it has turned out to be one of the
best things that has happened for me because
it forced me to analyze my game and dissect it
and put each part back,” Mickelson said. “I’ve
had to piece my game back and now since the
PGA, I’ve played better golf every single week.”
“It was one of the lowest points of my ca-
reer,” admitted the world No. 13. “We thought
we had it won. I love competing in the Ryder
Cup, as it is one of the most emotional and
proud experiences. This year was the hardest
loss in my career at the Ryder Cup.” l
While Europeans have spent the last month
celebrating the Miracle of Medinah, it is worth
sparing a thought for Mickelson and his team-mates, who played out of their skins in an
absorbing contest.
Rory McIlroy
www.globalgolfpost.com
NOV. 12, 2012
Manassero Last Man
Standing In Singapore
SINGAPORE | Matteo Manassero made a long day even
longer by going three holes into
a playoff before beating Louis
Oosthuizen to win the Barclays
Singapore Open Sunday.
Manassero won his third
title of his brief European Tour
career at age 19, with an eagle
from 15 feet at the par- 5 18th to
win the playoff, denying Oosthuizen his third victory of the
year. As a result of Manassero’s
win, Rory McIlroy won The Race
to Dubai after finishing third.
Manassero and Oosthuizen
tied at 13-under 271 over 72
holes at Sentosa Golf Club in
this island city-state, a popular
spot for the European Tour.
McIlroy was third at 11 under,
three shots back of the lead.
Manassero took home the winner’s prize of €770,226, which
is about $1 million.
With much of the third
round incomplete at the
start of the day after lengthy
storm delays on Thursday and
Friday, Manassero set about
completing a 7-under-par 64
to lead by two going into the
final round.
The Italian, who became the
European Tour’s youngest win-
ner two years ago and added
a second title in neighbouring
Malaysia last season, then bird-
ied the par- 5 18th for a final-
round 69 to tie with Oosthuizen
on 13 under after the former
Open champion had followed a
65 with a closing 67.
Matteo
Manassero
Louis – it’s been amazing
really. This year has been
a tough year for me going
through a few swing changes,
but it has been amazing this
week. I’m glad this came in
such a great tournament.”
McIlroy shot 69-65 on the
final day, an eagle at the last
confirming his status as
European No. 1 and allow-
ing the Northern Irishman to
match Ryder Cup teammate
Luke Donald’s 2011 achieve-
ment of topping the money list
on both sides of the Atlantic.
Thomas Björn recovered
from his third-round 74 with a
68 to take fourth on 9 under,
with Italy’s Francesco Molinari
and three-time winner of the
event Adam Scott tied for fifth.
RESULTS
Staff and Wire Reports
