World No. 69 Peters "Abu Dhabi Comeback Victory"... What About 'Number 2' Morikawa?

DP World Tour Premier Match 'Rolex Series Round 1' Final Day Even Par, Defending Champion Hatton Tied 6th

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

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] Thomas Pieters (Belgium), ranked 69th in the world, caught a big fish.

On the night of the 23rd (Korean time) at Abu Dhabi Yas Links (Par 72, 7,425 yards) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he added an even-par round on the final day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (total prize money $8 million) to achieve a one-stroke come-from-behind victory (10-under 278). This tournament is also the first stage of the 2022 Rolex Series, which bundles five premium matches of the DP World Tour (European Tour). This is his 6th career win, two months after the Portugal Masters last November, with a winner's prize of $1.36 million (16.22 billion KRW).

Pieters started from a one-stroke tie for second place, exchanging one birdie and one bogey. After a birdie on the 8th hole (par 3) and a bogey on the 11th hole (par 5), he held steady with pars over the next seven holes. His green in regulation rate of 88.89% and "computer iron shots" stood out. The leader Scott Jamieson (Scotland) fell into a slump with 5-over par and finished tied for 10th (6-under 282), while another contender Shane Lowry (Ireland) also remained tied for 12th (5-under 283) after a "5-over par rollercoaster" including a triple bogey on the first hole (par 4).

Rafa Cabrera Bello (Spain) and Shubhankar Sharma (India) tied for 2nd place (9-under 279), and "Taekwondo man" Viktor Hovland (Norway) was tied for 4th (8-under 280). Defending champion Tyrrell Hatton (England) stopped his "bid for a second consecutive win" at tied 6th place (7-under 281), finding consolation in a daily best 5-under par. Meanwhile, No. 2 Collin Morikawa (USA) dropped to tied 62nd (5-over 293) after two birdies and five bogeys, losing three strokes.