Published July 17, 2008 on November 19, 2018

Willett Wins Again as Molinari Tops Race to Dubai

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Danny Willett made a triumphant return to the winner’s circle as Francesco Molinari was crowned Europe’s Number One on a dramatic final day of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai – the eighth and final Rolex Series event of 2018.

Englishman Willett made three birdies in his last five holes to get to 18 under par, two shots clear of fellow Englishman Matt Wallace – who did enough to take a share of the Bonus Pool, finishing in tenth place in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex – and reigning Masters Champion Patrick Reed, who took second place in the season-long rankings.

Willett made his Major breakthrough in April 2016 with victory in the Masters Tournament but when he arrived this week at Jumeirah Golf Estates that remained his last title after battling with injury and loss of form. He missed five of his first seven cuts this season but a tie for eighth at the Italian Open ignited his campaign and two more Rolex Series top tens followed before he claimed European Tour title number six on the Earth Course with a final round 68.

Willet said, “Winning is a rarity on Tour, really. I’m pleased to have won the tournaments that I’ve won over the last few years. I’ve won some pretty big ones, and obviously Augusta is always going to be special. But this, coming back after everything that’s happened, this year, really, is going to go down in the history books for myself as one of the most pleasing.”

After a stellar season that included a first Major title at The Open, a Rolex Series victory at the BMW PGA Championship, and a record-breaking five points from five at The Ryder Cup, Molinari entered the week knowing that only a win for closest rival and great friend Tommy Fleetwood could deny him the Race to Dubai title. Despite finishing 12 shots off the lead, Fleetwood’s tie for 16^th meant that Italy had its first European Number One.

Molinari said, “I’m relieved more than anything to be honest. Clearly, I wasn’t bursting with energy the last few days, but I did what I could, and luckily it was good enough. I’m really incredibly proud to know that my name is going to be on that trophy with some incredible names.

“I can’t wait to go back and sit down and really relive the last few months. I’m not very proud of this week for the way I played but obviously I will remember it for a long time for winning The Race to Dubai. It’s just an incredible achievement again.

“I know I keep saying everything has been incredible, but if I think where I was before Wentworth this year; if someone told me I would go on to win Wentworth, win on the PGA TOUR, win The Open, five points at The Ryder Cup, I probably would have laughed. But it’s happened, so evidently I’ve done something good, and I need to do more next year.

“After winning Wentworth and on the PGA TOUR, I mean, if you stop there, it still would have been probably my best season, because to win on two different tours is really something.

“Then on top of it, you put a Major and it becomes something else, and then The Ryder Cup, and now this. So it’s really, like I said all season, it’s been happening so fast that today on the first tee, they announced me as the winner of Wentworth and the Open Champion and the Race to Dubai leader, and it just doesn’t sound real, to be honest.”

Defending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai champion Jon Rahm finished in a tie for fourth place at 14 under par alongside fellow Spaniard Adrian Otaegui and Dean Burmester of South Africa.

Englishman Tom Lewis and Dylan Frittelli of South Africa were a shot further back, with another Masters winner in Sergio Garcia at 12 under par alongside two-time Rolex Series winner Alex Noren and Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

Meanwhile, India’s Shubhankar Sharma was confirmed as the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year, after a debut season that included two European Tour titles.

Final scores

270 D Willett (Eng) 67 67 68 68,
272 P Reed (USA) 69 66 67 70, M Wallace (Eng) 68 65 71 68,
274 A Otaegui (Esp) 66 68 71 69, D Burmester (RSA) 71 65 68 70, J Rahm (Esp) 67 70 69 68,
275 D Frittelli (RSA) 70 73 66 66, T Lewis (Eng) 69 69 67 70,
276 S Garcia (Esp) 71 68 67 70, A Noren (Swe) 69 71 67 69, K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 70 66 71 69,
277 T Pieters (Bel) 68 70 72 67, H Stenson (Swe) 71 66 69 71, J Smith (Eng) 66 68 69 74, A Björk (Swe) 72 65 70 70,
278 X Schauffele (USA) 71 71 70 66, T Fleetwood (Eng) 69 67 74 68,
279 R Cabrera Bello (Esp) 69 69 71 70, M Southgate (Eng) 71 69 72 67,
280 R McIlroy (Nir) 69 67 71 73, L Westwood (Eng) 70 69 65 76,
281 A Pavan (Ita) 69 69 70 73, T Hatton (Eng) 71 72 65 73, M Kinhult (Swe) 69 71 70 71, J Luiten (Ned) 69 73 70 69,
282 F Molinari (Ita) 68 73 70 71, E Van Rooyen (RSA) 71 71 69 71, A Sullivan (Eng) 72 67 69 74,
283 T Detry (Bel) 70 70 69 74,
284 S Lowry (Irl) 70 72 69 73, M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 70 72 74 68, H Li (Chn) 68 73 69 74, W Ormsby (Aus) 69 72 68 75,
285 C Paisley (Eng) 71 71 69 74, H Tanihara (Jpn) 69 71 72 73, B Grace (RSA) 71 75 69 70, A Levy (Fra) 72 72 72 69, M Fitzpatrick (Eng) 74 72 70 69, A Wu (Chn) 72 74 67 72, R Knox (Sco) 73 68 73 71,
286 S Horsfield (Eng) 73 67 72 74, L Bjerregaard (Den) 76 71 66 73, S Sharma (Ind) 73 67 66 80, P Dunne (Irl) 72 69 75 70,
287 T Olesen (Den) 71 73 72 71, R Fox (Nzl) 74 74 68 71,
288 R Fisher (Eng) 68 73 72 75,
289 A Rai (Eng) 73 75 69 72,
290 L Herbert (Aus) 74 70 74 72, J Lagergren (Swe) 76 79 65 70,
291 J Campillo (Esp) 74 74 74 69, L Slattery (Eng) 72 70 73 76, I Poulter (Eng) 72 74 76 69, R Rock (Eng) 71 73 75 72,
292 D Fichardt (RSA) 74 71 73 74, M Kaymer (Ger) 72 75 74 71,
293 B Stone (RSA) 74 76 72 71, M Korhonen (Fin) 69 74 69 81,
298 C Wood (Eng) 73 76 73 76,
** E Pepperell (Eng) 75 RT 0 0,