Jumeirah Golf Estate, Dubai.
After 72 exciting holes the 2013 Race to Dubai has come to an end.
Our congratulations and admiration go to Henrik Stenson, who achieves the supremacy in the European Tour with 263 strokes (-25 for the tournament: 68-64-67-64).
Great players’ efforts like Luke Donald’s, Lee Westwood’s, Justin Rose’s, Rory McIlroy’s and Ian Poulter’s didn’t succeed: Poulter can’t do anything else but establish himself in the 2nd place, six strokes from the Swede.
Let’s give some numbers: only two bogeys during the four days (18, first round and 10, third round), 25 birdies and one eagle on the last hole of the whole season.
This extraordinary performance is the right crowning achievement of an impressing year for Stenson, who decided to equally divide his time between European and PGA Tours (with 17 and 18 events played respectively), reaching amazing results in both Tours.
Counting only the top places:
_ Shell Houston Open: 2°;
_ Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open: 3°;
_ THE 142nd OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP: 2°;
_ WGC – Bridgestone Invitational: 2°;
_ US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: 3°;
_ Deutsche Bank Championship: 1°;
_ TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola: 1°;
_ DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, DUBAI: 1°.
But, as the PGA Tour website emphasizes, with today’s victory Henrik Stenson becomes the holder of another very important record: he is the first player to achieve the top of the order of merit not only in Europe, but also in the USA.
With his 9th place in the 2013 FedExCup ranking, after the 18 events played, the play-offs give Stenson the chance to snatch the 1st place from Tiger Woods, another leading figure of the PGA season with five victories.
It is not right to finish with Woods, however.
The only, true protagonist of the entire 2013 world golf season is Henrik Stenson, the new no.3 in the Official World Golf Ranking.