Cool Kaymer keeps pursuers at bay

ABU DHABI CHAMPIONSHIP:RORY McILROY'S bid for a second European Tour title in the desert came up just short as he and Ian Poulter were forced to play second fiddle to Germany's Martin Kaymer, who won the €1.5 million Abu Dhabi Championship for the second time in three years.

Kaymer is one of the most composed competitors on the circuit, and with a hot putter he was always going to be difficult to overcome. A number of crucial putts coming down the stretch, including a closing birdie, meant the 25-year-old’s 66 for a 21-under-par aggregate of 267 was good enough to pick up the €250,000 winner’s cheque.

Poulter (34), went toe-to-toe with Kaymer, and even held the lead midway through the back nine, but a 66 left the flamboyant Englishman one short, while McIlroy’s 67 secured third on 19 under and a cheque for €93,900.

Shane Lowry enjoyed his best week on tour since last year’s Irish Open heroics after he matched McIlroy’s 67 to take fourth outright on 17-under to earn easily the biggest cheque of his career, €75,000.

McIlroy had put himself in the box seat as he and Poulter went into the final round just one shot behind Kaymer’s overnight lead. All three are leading contenders to make Colin Montgomerie’s Ryder Cup side in October, and the trio had the stage to themselves to battle it out in the final group.

The problem for McIlroy, though, was he failed to make a fast start when Kaymer and Poulter forged ahead with early birdies to leave the Holywood star something of a spectator as his playing partners engaged in a head-to-head, matchplay tussle.

Kaymer and Poulter had picked up four birdies by the time they reached the turn, with McIlroy three off the pace as he went out in one-under 35.

Poulter birdied the 11th and 12th to briefly assume the lead, but Kaymer’s putter soon came to the fore.

A long birdie effort was converted at the 14th, and a par-saving effort followed at the next.

However, the most telling putt of the day came with his 20-foot par-saving effort at 17 to maintain a share of the lead going to 18.

But McIlroy had refused to lie down and threw everything he had to get into the mix.

The 20-year-old’s aggression was rewarded with birdies at 10 and 12, before an excellent iron to within 10 feet at the par three 15th set up another birdie. A fine approach to 17th gave him a fourth birdie of the nine to get to 19 under and within one of the lead.

At the par five 18th, Kaymer found the fairway, leaving a three-wood approach which found the green, whereas Poulter and McIlroy, who both missed the fairway, were forced to lay-up and failed to get up and down for birdie.

Kaymer, playing with plates and screws in his foot after last year’s go-karting accident, coolly two-putted to match his 2008 victory – he was also runner-up last year.

“I felt very calm the first 10, 12 holes, then Poulter, he came a little close and all of a sudden he was leading by a shot and I really felt the pressure, especially on 16, 17 and 18,” said the winner, who moved up to sixth in the world after securing his fifth European Tour title.

“I had a really difficult par putt on 17, which fortunately I made, and then a nice two-putt birdie on the last to win by one. The putt on 17 was definitely the most important of the day for me.”

With each tournament Lowry looks a more settled touring pro, exemplified by his long-range bunker approach at the 18th to set up a closing birdie.

At this early stage in the season the 22-year-old is 14th in the Race to Dubai with €86,712 from three events, while McIlroy, who will defend his Dubai Desert Classic title after this week’s Qatar Masters, is 12th after his opening event.

Peter Lawrie’s final-round 67 moved the Dubliner up 15 places to 27th on nine under (€13,350), while Darren Clarke remained static after a closing 72 left him three under (€4,612.50).

BOB HOPE CLASSIC:Alex Prugh became the third different leader of the Bob Hope Classic in as many rounds as he shot a seven-under 65 in Palm Springs, California on Saturday.

A bogey at the penultimate hole denied second-round leader Bubba Watson a tie for first place with fellow American Prugh in the 90-hole tournament, which will conclude today following the loss of a complete day’s play on Thursday.

Prugh’s bogey-free 65, which gave him the lead at 21-under par, came at La Quinta, which is considered one of the more challenging of the four par-72 courses in play at this PGA Tour pro-am event.

Watson had on Wednesday opened with a 66 at La Quinta and on Friday he shot a 10-under 62 at SilverRock the other more difficult course, but the Palmer course at PGA West left him cursing a bogey at the par-three 17th that was the only blemish in a solid round of 68.

(Abu Dhabi scoreboard, British unless stated, Irish in bold, par 72)

267– M Kaymer (Ger) 67 67 67 66.

268– I Poulter 65 70 67 66.

269 – Rory McIlroy 66 69 67 67.

271 – Shane Lowry 68 65 71 67.

272– L Oosthuizen (Rsa) 67 71 68 66.

273– R Davies 66 68 72 67, A Canete (Arg) 70 65 74 64.

274– A Hansen (Den) 69 70 68 67, S Hansen (Den) 72 67 68 67, D Horsey 73 66 70 65.

275– P Hanson (Swe) 66 67 70 72, A Quiros (Spa) 66 70 68 71.

276– F Molinari (Ita) 68 68 72 68, A Kim (US) 70 70 68 68, M Ilonen (Fin) 71 67 72 66, S Garcia (Spa) 66 67 74 69, R Green (Aus) 70 65 72 69, T Jaidee (Tha) 69 70 67 70.

277– C Wood 70 64 70 73, C Villegas (Col) 71 68 69 69.

278– H Otto (Rsa) 70 67 70 71, T Aiken (Rsa) 67 70 71 70, S Webster 68 69 74 67, R Kulacz (Aus) 69 63 73 73, J Donaldson 70 69 67 72, H Stenson (Swe) 70 72 69 67.

279– J Huldahl (Den) 70 67 72 70, G Orr 69 71 70 69, P Lawrie 66 70 72 71, P Casey 72 69 69 69, Peter Lawrie 71 71 70 67, E Molinari (Ita) 69 66 71 73, R McGowan 69 71 67 72.

280– D Vancsik (Arg) 66 70 73 71, R Bland 65 74 71 70, G Ogilvy (Aus) 72 69 68 71.

281– A Wall 71 68 74 68, P Waring 68 70 71 72, P Marksaeng (Tha) 70 72 68 71, S Dyson 72 67 75 67, R Jacquelin (Fra) 74 68 69 70.

282– J Edfors (Swe) 70 69 73 70.

283– A Noren (Swe) 66 74 72 71, M Warren 69 69 72 73, T Bjorn (Den) 71 69 70 73, N Dougherty 71 68 74 70, R Cabrera Bello (Spa) 74 68 72 69, P Larrazabal (Spa) 73 69 73 68.

284– M Lundberg (Swe) 71 71 73 69, JM Singh (Ind) 73 69 72 70, S Kjeldsen (Den) 70 72 72 70, K Horne (Rsa) 65 72 78 69, T Goya (Arg) 71 70 72 71, P Hedblom (Swe) 72 70 73 69, M Fraser (Aus) 71 69 71 73.

285– S Kapur (Ind) 68 74 72 71, P Price 72 70 71 72, Darren Clarke 70 72 71 72, B Dredge 68 73 72 72.

286– R Karlsson (Swe) 72 70 73 71, M Erlandsson (Swe) 74 68 75 69, C Montgomerie 73 68 74 71.

287– P Broadhurst 71 70 74 72.

288– B Rumford (Aus) 71 69 73 75, D Howell 69 72 75 72, T Hamilton (US) 68 74 73 73, J Kamte (Rsa) 72 68 74 74, M Foster 68 70 74 76.

289– N Fasth (Swe) 73 69 73 74, R Finch 69 68 77 75.

291– R Echenique (Arg) 67 75 70 79.

292– D Dixon 71 69 76 76.

293– M Manassero (Ita) 70 72 77 74.