Tournament Recap: Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Going into the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the final group was made up of Scotsman Scott Jamieson on -11, with Thomas Pieters and Shane Lowry both on -10.

An incredible opening hole saw Thomas Pieters make par, Scott Jamieson make bogey, and Shane Lowry make triple bogey to bring a whole host of players from further back into the mix.

From 9 shots back at the start of the day on -2, even Rory McIlroy was able to make a final round charge. Rory holed out this effort from 141 yards for eagle on the par 4 9th to make the turn in -5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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McIlroy followed this up with 3 birdies in his next 4 holes, parring the par 5 11th in between. Just 3 shots off the lead and looking like he might post a score, Rory finished +3 in his final 5 holes to finish in a tie for 12th place.

Thomas Pieters’s steady start served him well. After parring the first 7, he made birdie on 8  to go two clear. He then three putt bogeyed the par 5 11th from just outside 8 feet to let Rafa Cabrera Bello and Shubhankar Sharma into the mix.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Cabrera Bello was tied for the lead on -10 through 14 holes. His -3 round came to an abrupt end with bogeys on 15 and 16 to all but end his chances. Sharma also threatened at -9 through 14 but a bogey on 17 put the win just out of his reach.

Cabrera Bellow and Sharma birdied 18, but Thomas Pieters made another steady par to shoot a level par 72 and claim his first Rolex Series event along with the $1.3 million first prize.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Although out of contention from the start of the day, Santiago Tarrio left his mark on the tournament with a sublime backward flop shot on 17 that’s worth checking out here.

What did you think of this year’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship?

Cover Image Via Instagram