Paul Casey claimed a milestone 15th European Tour title as a closing 70 handed him a four shot victory at the 2021 Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
The Englishman has an excellent record in the United Arab Emirates with victories in Abu Dhabi in 2007 and 2009 and he made it a desert hat-trick as he finished 17 under at Emirates Golf Club, four ahead of South Africa’s Brandon Stone, with Scot Robert MacIntyre at 12 under.
Casey entered the day with a one shot lead and while he turned in level par 35, that was enough for a three shot advantage which had been extended to five with five to play.
That gap was trimmed over the closing holes but the 43-year-old never looked in any real danger as he cruised to a triumph that moves him back into the top 20 on the Official World Golf Ranking.
Casey has spoken this week of his desire to make a fifth Ryder Cup appearance in September, and this win sees him match captains Thomas Bjørn and Padraig Harrington for European Tour wins.
The victory also takes him past the tally of three time Race to Dubai champion Rory McIlroy and makes it 350 wins for English players on the European Tour.
MacIntyre holed from 11 feet on the second to quickly join the lead but Casey made a two putt birdie from 65 feet on the par five next to edge back ahead.
The leader was in a treacherous spot on the next, sat in thick rough with a downhill run off the green towards the water but he holed a stunning chip to move two ahead.
He then missed the green and failed to get up and down on the sixth and eighth but stayed two ahead as MacIntyre missed the green himself on the seventh and then missed a putt from inside two feet on the next.
The 24-year-old found the water on the ninth but holed a clutch putt from the fringe to keep the damage to one shot, and Casey led by three at the turn.
A three putt at the tenth made it four bogeys in a row for MacIntyre and when Casey holed from 20 feet on the 11th, the lead was five shots.
Stone had endured a tough front nine, bogeying the second, sixth and seventh to turn in 38 but made a two putt birdie on the par five tenth and hit a beautiful tee shot into the par three next for another gain.
European Tour Release, Jan 31, 2021
