DUBAI: Matthew Fitzpatrick birdied the last hole to win the $8 million DP World Tour Championship on Sunday as Henrik Stenson won the Race to Dubai for a second time.
England’s Fitzpatrick was completing a remarkable season in which he represented Europe in the Ryder Cup within two years of turning professional, and backed it up by winning the season-ending championship.
The 22-year-old closed with a 67 for a 17-under par total at the Earth course of Jumeirah Golf Estates.
That was one better than compatriot Tyrrell Hatton who made a bogey on the last hole after hitting his tee shot into the water.
Stenson won the Race to Dubai, the Swede shooting a seven-under par 65 on the final day to finish on a 12-under par total.
He finished tied with Rory McIlroy, who needed to win the tournament to deny Stenson, but two of his closest rivals — Masters champion Danny Willett of England and four-time European Tour winner this year Alex Noren of Sweden — ranked second and third in the Race to Dubai at the start of the week, finished behind him.
Willett was tied 50 at one-under par, while Noren could do no better than tied 23rd at eight-under par.
Stenson finished on 4,148,402 points, with Willett second on 3,734,527. Noren was third, but Hatton pushed McIlroy to fifth place with his runner-up finish.
A delighted Stenson said: “It’s been the best year of my career when I sum it up, and this certainly didn’t make it any worse. It’s some very nice names on this trophy, so I’m delighted and proud to get my name on it again.
“It’s hard enough to do one time, but to do two is something I’m very pleased with, and of course it shows how well I played over the course of the year.
“I had the BMW International Open win, and the win at The Open, but then it was another I think ten really good tournaments throughout the year that when we sum it all up, that’s why we’re sitting here with this right next to me.”
Fitzpatrick was adding this tournament to his win in the Nordea Masters.
He was solid throughout the round except for a pulled tee shot on the 15th hole that somehow came back in play after hitting a tree.
Fitzpatrick had already played a provisional ball there, but managed to make a crucial par with the original ball.
Up ahead, Hatton led by one but looked set to make a bogey on the par-3 17th, where his ball got plugged in the bunker slope on the back wall.
He hacked it into the bunker, and then holed out his third shot to stay one ahead.
But Hatton’s luck ran out on the 18th, when he smashed his tee shot into the stream that runs in the middle of the fairway. From there, he could only make a bogey and then watched Fitzpatrick edge ahead with a birdie from the fairway bunker.
After making his four-feet putt for the decisive birdie, Fitzpatrick said: “It’s the most I’ve shaked over a putt in, for ever. I surprised myself. I’m normally quite sort of okay, but yeah, it was a tough one.
“It’s a great way to end the season. This is my best result of my career. There isn’t anything better than that, you know, so yeah, it’s been a very, very good week.”
South African Charl Schwartzel was third at 14-under par 274.
Fitzpatrick takes finale and Stenson the Race to Dubai
Fitzpatrick takes finale and Stenson the Race to Dubai
Al-Khaleej stun Al-Hilal with comeback win
- Defeat was first for reigning champions in the league in 46 games since May 2023
RIYADH: Al-Hilal lost 3-2 at Al-Khaleej on Saturday, a result made even more stunning as the all-conquering champions had been winning 2-0.
It is a defeat, a first in the league in 46 games since May 2023, that not only blows the title race wide open but shows that the champions are not invincible.
Al-Ittihad will go two points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League if they beat Al-Fateh on Sunday. It also means that Al-Nassr stay five points behind and are not out of the running.
The Blues had the better of the play from the beginning and few were surprised when Marcos Leonardo put the leaders ahead after just 12 minutes.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic won the ball on the edge of the area as Khaleej tried to play out from the back and there was Leonardo to stroke a low shot home.
Eight minutes before the break, Aleksandar Mitrovic struck with his 12th goal in the SPL this season. Salem Al-Dawsari, such a big miss for Saudi Arabia in recent World Cup qualifiers, curled over a corner and there was the Serbian striker to head home.
It seemed to be all over but then the hosts were handed a lifeline on the stroke of half time. Kalidou Koulibaly made a clumsy challenge in the area and while Yassine Bounou saved the penalty from Konstantinos Fortounis, Abdullah Al-Salem reacted the quickest to shoot the rebound home.
Al-Salem stunned Al-Hilal soon after the restart with a stunning goal. The hosts made uncharacteristic defensive mistakes and Khalid Narey fed the ball to the 31 year-old who chipped Bounou delightfully from the right side of the area.
With five minutes remaining, Fabio Martins side footed home from another Narey assist to provoke wild celebrations as Al-Khaleej move into sixth. Al-Hilal stay top but maybe not for much longer.
Spurs thrash Man City 4-0 to end 52-match unbeaten home run
- James Maddison struck twice in seven first-half minutes before Pedro Porro rubbed salt in the wounds of his former club and Brennan Johnson completed the rout
- City’s first defeat on home soil from open play since the eve of the 2022 World Cup leaves them still five points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool
MANCHESTER: Manchester City crashed to a stunning fifth consecutive defeat as Tottenham won 4-0 at the Etihad to end the English champions’ 52-game unbeaten home run on Saturday.
James Maddison struck twice in seven first-half minutes before Pedro Porro rubbed salt in the wounds of his former club and Brennan Johnson completed the rout.
City’s first defeat on home soil from open play since the eve of the 2022 World Cup leaves them still five points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool, who play their game in hand at bottom-of-the-table Southampton on Sunday.
A great day for Tottenham eases the pressure on Ange Postecoglou as they climb into the top six.
City boss Pep Guardiola has committed himself to turning around the poorest run of his managerial career after extending his contract till 2027 this week.
But hopes his new deal could revitalize a City side, that have won an unprecedented four consecutive Premier League titles, proved short-lived.
Rodri paraded his Ballon d’Or trophy to the home fans before kick-off as his name was lit up across the Etihad pitch by firelight in an ostentatious show of support for the Spanish midfielder.
The 28-year-old is not expected to play again this season after suffering knee ligament damage in September and his absence has been at the heart of City’s demise.
Guardiola’s men did start strongly as Guglielmo Vicario denied Erling Haaland and the Norwegian had another shot deflected wide.
But the momentum of the match completely swung on Tottenham’s first serious attack after 13 minutes.
Dejan Kulusevski’s teasing cross picked out Maddison who applied a cool first-time finish.
Maddison had found himself frozen out of Postecoglou’s starting line-up in recent weeks and was keen to prove a point to his manager.
Son Heung-min’s inventive pass freed the England international inside the box and he dinked the ball over the advancing Ederson to double Spurs’ lead.
Inconsistency has been the scourge of Tottenham’s season so far.
A 2-1 home defeat to Ipswich before the international break saw Postecoglou’s men slip to 10th in the table.
But they have now twice won comprehensively in Manchester after a 3-0 win over United at Old Trafford.
Dominic Solanke was denied by a fine Ederson save with the chance to make it 3-0 before half-time.
Spurs, though, were not to be denied seven minutes into the second period.
The excellent Kulusevski crossed for Solanke and he patiently laid the ball back for Porro to blast home from close range.
Haaland clipped the bar from an almost impossible angle as City labored to find a response.
Instead, they were hit with one final sucker punch as Timo Werner eased past Kyle Walker and crossed for Johnson to tap home at the far post.
The one glimmer of hope for City may be the return of Kevin De Bruyne after a two-month injury absence as a late substitute.
However, Guardiola has to find solutions fast if his side’s title defense is to be maintained into the new year.
A daunting trip to face Liverpool at Anfield is next up in the Premier League, where City have not won in front of a crowd since 2003.
Odegaard inspires Arsenal to reignite title hopes
- Victory at the Emirates lifts them to 22 points, level with third-placed Chelsea
- Captain Odegaard was making his first appearance at the Emirates since late August and showed what a huge miss he was for Arsenal
LONDON: Mikel Arteta said his Arsenal team “flows in a different way” when Martin Odegaard is playing after the Gunners crushed Nottingham Forest 3-0 on Saturday to end their winless run.
Stunning strikes from Bukayo Saka and Thomas Partey and a first Premier League goal for teenager Ethan Nwaneri gave Arsenal a first victory in five league games, reigniting their title challenge.
Arsenal, Premier League runners-up for the past two seasons, started the campaign strongly but their form dipped and they kicked off on Saturday nine points behind leaders Liverpool.
Victory at the Emirates lifts them to 22 points, level with third-placed Chelsea.
Arsenal took the lead in the 15th minute when Saka exchanged passes with Odegaard on the edge of the area before lashing a left-footed shot into the roof of the net.
Captain Odegaard was making his first appearance at the Emirates since late August and showed what a huge miss he was for Arsenal during his two-month injury absence.
Time and again the Norwegian found space in the penalty area with his quick feet and he teed up Gabriel Jesus, who curled narrowly wide, before linking up with Saka again.
Partey doubled Arsenal’s lead early in the second half after collecting Saka’s pass 20 yards out and taking a touch, before curling his shot away from the dive of Matz Sels and inside the far post.
Seventeen-year-old Nwaneri tucked away Raheem Sterling’s cutback to wrap up an emphatic win in the 86th minute.
“I think we started really well,” Arteta told the BBC. “The sense I was getting in the last 48 hours after the international break, the boys coming together and were all at it.”
Speaking about Odegaard, who returned to action at Inter Milan earlier this month, he said: “It’s not a coincidence. The team flows in a different way when he is playing.”
And he also had warm words for Nwaneri.
“He is the second-youngest (Premier League goalscorer) in our history,” Arteta said. “That’s a story in itself.
“He’s brave. You see the reaction of fans and they were singing ‘He’s one of our own’. I think we have to put brick by brick and make sure the cement doesn’t get dry. Hopefully we can build a beautiful thing with him.”
Riyadh retains Chestertons polo title in Dubai
- Saudi team secures 6-5 victory over Egyptian opponents in final match
DUBAI: The Riyadh polo team have successfully defended their title as Chestertons MENA Polo in the Park champions for a second year after defeating their Cairo rivals in Dubai on Saturday.
The Saudi team secured a 6-5 victory over their Egyptian opponents in the final match, which was held at Dubai’s Desert Palm Polo Club.
Amr Zidan, chairman of the Saudi Polo Federation, awarded the championship trophy to Khalid Al-Omran, the Riyadh team captain.
Representing Riyadh alongside Al-Omran were Rayan Al-Ajaji, and professional players Santos Iriarte (Argentina) and Guillermo Li (Peru).
The tournament featured four teams: Riyadh, Cairo, London, and Dubai.
It was the second Chestersons Polo in the Park event to be held in the Middle East after having been held in London for over a decade.
Andy Murray to coach Novak Djokovic
- “I’m thrilled to have one of my biggest rivals on the same side of the net with me, this time as my coach,” Djokovic said
- Murray said: “I am very excited about this and look forward to being on the same side of the net for a change”
BELGRADE: Novak Djokovic announced on Saturday that his retired long-time rival Andy Murray is joining the 24-time Grand Slam-winning player’s coaching team, starting at the Australian Open in January.
“I’m thrilled to have one of my biggest rivals on the same side of the net with me, this time as my coach. I look forward to starting the season with Andy and having him by my side in Melbourne, where we’ve shared many exceptional moments throughout our careers,” Djokovic said in a statement.
Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion who retired from competitive tennis in August, said: “I am very excited about this and look forward to being on the same side of the net for a change.
“I’m also grateful for the opportunity to help him achieve his goals for the upcoming year.”
Djokovic posted a video on X of him and Murray during the Scotsman’s playing career, jokingly titled: “He never liked retirement anyway.”
The 37-year-old Serb has won the Australian Open a record 10 times, defeating Murray in four finals.
Djokovic failed to win a Grand Slam in 2024 and has slipped to seventh in the world, although he did land the Olympic singles title in Paris.
