Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland fired a final round 66 to win the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai by two strokes from England's Justin Rose.
McIlroy, who had already sealed the Race to Dubai money list, began the last round over Jumeirah's Earth Course in a tie for the lead with Luke Donald.
But it was another Englishman who proved to be the World Number 1's closest challenger. Justin Rose scorched round in a, course record, 10-under-par 62 to set a superb clubhouse target of 21-under-par.
McIlroy found himself two behind his Ryder Cup teammate at that point. But he rose to the challenge, closing with five straight birdies.
"I saw Justin make a charge - I heard the cheers," he said. "But to finish like that was great. I could not have wished for any better. To back up 2011 with another Major and to be part of an unbelievable story at the Ryder Cup has made it an incredible year. Hopefully I can emulate it or do even better next year!"
Rose tore through the field with eight birdies and an eagle in his round. In finishing second he has climbed to a career-high of fourth on the Official World Golf Ranking.
On the closing hole the Englishman made an incredible birdie. He was roughly 100 feet from the cup in two, with a seemingly impossible putt. He played it towards the top of a ridge, where the ball looked as though it would stop. But it just crept over and ran all the way to the hole-side for a tap-in four.
"I knew it was hero or zero there," he said. "I was one roll away from looking like an idiot. I actually got goosebumps. I thought it was going to go in for a second."
There was good news for Scotland's Paul Lawrie. Despite finishing down in a tie for 48th place, he did just enough to secure 10th spot on the final Race to Dubai rankings. The top-10 players receive a share of the bonus pool.
Louis Oosthuizen's fifth place finish saw him climb to third on the money list, while Luke Donald moved up to seventh.
It was a mixed week for Sergio Garcia. He finished with a 64, matching the number he posted on Friday. But his 1st and 3rd rounds were both completed in disappointing 73s.
DP World Tour Championship, Dubai Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai Nov 22-25, purse €6,174,996 par 72
1 Rory McIlroy (NIR) 66 67 66 66 265 €1,041,429 2 Justin Rose (Eng) 68 68 69 62 267 €694,312 T3 Luke Donald (Eng) 65 68 66 71 270 €359,302 T3 Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 68 67 67 68 270 €359,302 5 Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 67 67 68 69 271 €249,949 6 Branden Grace (RSA) 69 65 70 68 272 €203,240 T7 Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 68 69 68 68 273 €174,964 T7 Henrik Stenson (Swe) 68 68 69 68 273 €174,964 T9 Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) 67 69 72 66 274 €134,973 T9 Jamie Donaldson (Wal) 68 68 69 69 274 €134,973 T9 Gonzalo Fdz-Castano (Esp) 66 72 68 68 274 €134,973 T9 Sergio Garcia (Esp) 73 64 73 64 274 €134,973 T9 Padraig Harrington (Ire) 67 71 68 68 274 €134,973
Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage
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