McGrane cashes in as Quiros takes title

GOLF:A brilliant closing round of five-under-par 67 helped Damien McGrane claim fourth spot behind winner Alvaro Quiros at the Qatar Masters in Doha.

The Meathman fired three birdies and an eagle while keeping the bogeys off his card to finish on 13-under and pick up a cheque for over €94,000.

Overnight leader Quiros birdied the 16th and 17th holes on his way to carding a 69 to finish on 19-under, three shots clear of Louis Oosthuizen and former champion Henrik Stenson.

Stenson’s 68 ensured a fifth straight top-seven finish at Doha Golf Club for the 2006 champion, but the Dubai-based Swede’s three-putt bogey at the last allowed overnight leader and Abu Dhabi runner-up Oosthuizen to earn a share of second after a final round of 71.

Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez’s three birdies earned him a 69 and a share of fifth with Holland’s Maarten Lafeber (72).

Inaugural Qatar champion Andrew Coltart (72) shared seventh with Simon Dyson (66), world number two Sergio Garcia (70), Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat (70) and another Spaniard Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (69) at 11 under.

Stenson, last year’s runner-up to Adam Scott, snatched the lead at 16-under with an eagle at the 10th, but Quiros and Oosthuizen — playing a group behind — responded with birdies of their own to leave all three tied through 11.

The momentum swung Quiros’ way as he birdied the 12th and Oosthuizen dropped a shot to fall two off the pace before the Spaniard extended his lead as he converted from eight feet a hole later.

Stenson put pressure on with birdie of his own at 15 to move within one at 17-under before Quiros wobbled as he dumped his three-wood approach from the rough into the water which resulted in him holing a 15-foot putt just to save bogey and fall back into a tie with the experienced Stenson.

But Quiros found a response of his own with a fourth birdie of the week at the 16th before taking a two-stroke lead down the last with another at the par-three 17th.

Stenson had a chance to cut the lead and put pressure on the Spaniard but after battling out of the desert off the tee needed three putts to finish his round and a smiling Quiros strode onto the final green to claim a third European Tour title and move up to fourth place in the Race to Dubai.

Moments earlier Oosthuizen had birdied the last to record a second successive runner-up finish, which sees him move up to fifth on the season money list — a place ahead of Stenson.

Rory McIlroy finished his tournament on three-under following a one-under 71 that included three birdies and a double-bogey. Gary Murphy shot a second straight 73 to end his week on level par.

SCOREBOARD

(Ireland and Britain unless stated, par 72)

269Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 69 67 64 69

272Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 67 65 69 71, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 66 72 66 68

275 Damien McGrane 69 69 70 67

276Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 66 71 70 69, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 68 70 66 72

277Sergio Garcia (Spa) 70 70 67 70, Andrew Coltart 66 69 70 72, Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 69 69 69 70, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 69 72 67 69, Simon Dyson 72 70 69 66

278Aaron Baddeley (Aus) 68 72 67 71, Hennie Otto (Rsa) 73 69 69 67, Anders Hansen (Den) 67 72 68 71, Paul Broadhurst 68 70 69 71

279Brett Rumford (Aus) 67 69 73 70, Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 70 72 70 67, Stephen Gallacher 72 69 69 69, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 70 71 70 68, Johan Edfors (Swe) 72 67 69 71

280Anthony Wall 70 70 70 70, Alexander Noren (Swe) 72 71 66 71, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 69 72 69 70, Adam Scott (Aus) 73 70 70 67, Robert Dinwiddie 67 73 68 72, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 69 73 67 71

281Nick Dougherty 68 72 71 70, Lee Westwood 67 73 67 74, Thomas Levet (Fra) 71 70 68 72, Andrew McLardy (Rsa) 70 69 70 72

282Peter Hanson (Swe) 72 69 71 70, Rodney Pampling (Aus) 70 68 74 70, Soren Hansen (Den) 72 71 70 69, Ernie Els (Rsa) 70 71 73 68, Martin Kaymer (Ger) 71 72 71 68, Bradley Dredge 74 67 70 71

283Robert Karlsson (Swe) 68 72 71 72, Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 71 72 69 71, Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 71 71 71 70, Richard Finch 73 67 74 69, David Howell 71 71 73 68, Marcel Siem (Ger) 72 71 72 68

284Markus Brier (Aut) 70 71 72 71, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 71 73 71 69, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 73 71 73 67

285Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 70 71 71 73, Rory McIlroy 76 68 70 71, Paul Lawrie 72 71 72 70, Ross McGowan 73 66 75 71

286Francesco Molinari (Ita) 72 70 71 73, Stephen Dodd 70 72 74 70, Ross Fisher 71 71 76 68, Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 73 71 69 73, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 69 71 75 71, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 71 70 72 73

287Danny Willett 73 71 71 72, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 71 73 70 73

288Mikael Lundberg (Swe) 72 71 72 73, Gary Murphy 71 71 73 73

289Thomas Bjorn (Den) 70 73 73 73, Scott Strange (Aus) 72 71 74 72

290Joakim Haeggman (Swe) 73 70 71 76, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 73 71 73 73

291Oliver Wilson 69 73 74 75, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 68 75 77 71

292Steve Webster 72 71 75 74, Graeme Storm 72 72 77 71

293Jamie Donaldson 70 73 73 77

297Alvaro Velasco (Spa) 76 68 75 78