Alvaro Quiros wins Omega Dubai Desert Classic

Spain's Alvaro Quiros came out on top after an incredible final round to win the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club. He beat Anders Hansen of Denmark and James Kingston of South Africa by a single shot.

Alvaro Quiros
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Spain's Alvaro Quiros came out on top after an incredible final round to win the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club. He beat Anders Hansen of Denmark and James Kingston of South Africa by a single shot.

Quiros looked to have played himself out of the running when he racked up a triple bogey on the 8th hole but he struck back with a hole-in-one at the short 11th.

"It was the perfect shot," he said. "Once in a year it happens."

The Spaniard also birdied the 16th hole then closed with two pars to seal the victory. Hansen had taken the advantage with an eagle three at the 13th but a dropped shot at the 15th was his undoing and he was unable to match the 11-under-par total set by Quiros. It was a fifth European Tour title for the big-hitting 28-year-old.

"I am very proud of myself," said Quiros. " I think I managed very well with difficult situations."

South Africa's James Kingston played a fine closing round of 67. He had a chance to post the same closing score as Quiros but his birdie effort on the 72nd hole lipped out.

The big names in the tournament all failed to deliver on Sunday. Halfway leader Rory McIlroy fell away over the weekend with rounds of 75 and 74, he ended in a tie for 10th. Lee Westwood dropped three shots in his last two holes to drop back into a tie for 15th while Tiger Woods made a double bogey seven at the last hole to fall back to 20th spot.

Sergio Garcia, who was playing with Woods, moved into a share of the lead when he birdied the first hole. But the Spaniard stumbled to a triple-bogey seven on the 9th and was unable to recover.

Omega Dubai Desert Classic Emirates Golf Club, Dubai Feb 10-13, purse €1,800,000, par 72

1   Alvaro Quiros (Esp)   73   68   68   68   277   €301,353 T2   Anders Hansen (Den)   69   68   71   70   278   €157,045 T2   James Kingston (RSA)   72   72   67   67   278   €157,045 T4   Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 68 69   72   70   279   €76,786 T4   Scott Strange (Aus)   72   72   67   68   279   €76,786 T4   Alvaro Velasco (Esp)   74   70   65   70   279   €76,786 T7   Thomas Aiken (RSA)   67   67   74   72   280   €49,726 T7   Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) 69 71 69   71   280   €49,726 9   Peter Hanson (Swe)   69   69   73   70   281   €40,503

Note: Player in bold signifies Titleist ball usage only

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Fergus Bisset
Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?