Westwood "25 Career Wins"... 'Number 1' Kepka Ranks 34th

Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Final Day 5-Under Par '2-Stroke Victory', Kepka Falters at 3-Under Par

Lee Westwood is cheering while holding the trophy immediately after winning the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Dubai (UAE) = Getty Images / Multibits Photo by Getty Images

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] The '46-year-old veteran' Lee Westwood (England) has reached the milestone of 25 career wins on the European Tour.

On the night of the 19th (Korean time) at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club (Par 72, 7,583 yards) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Lee added 5 under par on the final day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (total prize money $7 million) to secure a 2-stroke victory (19 under par, 269 strokes). Starting the day with a 1-stroke lead, he recorded six birdies and one bogey. This was his first win of the 2020 season and his 25th career win, coming 1 year and 2 months after the Nedbank Golf Challenge in November 2018. The winner's prize money was $1,165,000 (approximately 1.35 billion KRW).

This tournament is the first event of the 'Rolex Series.' Since 2017, the European Tour has grouped eight prestigious matches with history and tradition to compete against the PGA Tour, significantly increasing the total prize money to $7 million. The series includes the Irish Open in May, the Scottish Open in July, the BMW PGA Championship in September, the Italian Open in October, and three final events in November: the Turkish Airlines Open, the Nedbank Challenge, and the DP World Tour Championship.

This year, the spotlight was even brighter as world number one Brooks Koepka (USA) made his comeback. He underwent knee surgery last October and withdrew after the second round of The CJ Cup held in Korea. After three months, he began tuning his competitive shot skills. He started strong with 6 under par on the first day but struggled with 3 over par on the second day. He then posted 2 under par on the third day and 3 under par on the final day, finishing tied for 34th place (8 under par, 280 strokes). He will compete again at the Saudi International (total prize money $3.5 million) on the 30th.