Gary Stal triumphant in Abu Dhabi

Report by Anand Datla

January 18, 2015: It turned out to be a remarkable Sunday in the Abu Dhabi desert. Martin Kaymer blew a commanding six shot lead, stumbling to a 75 in the final round. Meanwhile, Gary Stal was turning the heat on with a spotless show, marching to serenely supreme 65 that contained seven birdies to snatch the title from Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had predicted that he would be playing for second and he came good on his premonition. McIlroy shot seven birdies in his 66 as he finished in second, just one behind Stal.

The day belonged entirely to Stal, who vaulted to his first ever European Tour title, from literally outside the radar by overcoming an eight shot deficit. Stal showed remarkable composure in the final round, nailing a finish that was clean as a whistle to clinch the title.

The Frenchman had suffered two bogeys in each of the first three rounds, but the final round saw not a single blemish on his card. He made four birdies in six holes before making the turn, needing just 32 shots to complete the front nine. When he made birdies at the 10th and 11th holes, it was four in a row and by then he was firmly entrenched among the contenders.

McIlroy had started with a birdie on the second, but the advantage was erased immediately when he surrendered a shot at the fourth hole. The world No.1 put himself back on track with a hat-trick of birdies from the 8th before finishing with three more birdies in the final six holes to come good with his premonition.

Kaymer was firmly in the driving seat when he gained three shots in the first four holes. It seemed there was nothing the field could do to rein in a seemingly runaway winner. And the field really did not have to do much, for Kaymer imploded in dramatic fashion.

A bogey at the sixth was a mere forewarning of the disaster that was waiting to embrace the unsuspecting German. At the par-four ninth hole, Kaymer gave away two shots to make the turn a markedly deflated man.

This was just the time when Stal and McIlroy was playing far better, compounding Kaymer’s problems. The par-four 13th hole proved to be the final nail in Kaymer’s hopes. The German sank to a triple bogey seven and it took tremendous mental resolve just to stay even through the next five holes and avert further damage.