Paul Waring (-24) has won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, his second victory in 333 tournaments played on the DP World Tour, more than six years after the first. The Englishman has always been a much more than tidy player from tee to green, even brilliant and consistent in this broad aspect of the game. But he never quite broke through as a WINNER, in capital letters. On one hand, because he has never been a supreme putter. On the other, because he was evidently more vulnerable than others in moments of extreme pressure. So it had almost become customary to cross his name off the list of true contenders when he appeared up there once past the tournament’s halfway point, the first 36 holes…
It’s never too late to stop being a lamb and transform into a wolf. And this, in Abu Dhabi, has been the week of his life. Something like a ‘lad, now or never’. He broke the course record (61, on Friday), a generous Yas Links when the wind doesn’t blow; he also surpassed the best under-par record in the history of the circuit after 36 holes (-19); he hit the best shot of his life, by his own admission, that wood on the 18th, in the second round, from about 230 metres, against the wind, to leave a birdie that was already given after missing the tee shot to a dreadful rough. He did all that, but above all, he finished the tournament like the great champions. He only faltered today in two moments, where he truly seemed more tense than necessary. On the second shot of the 14th and on the tee shot of the 15th, where he even had to hit a provisional ball… Once again, he seemed to falter in the long and decisive final sprint, but he had the courage to regroup and recover his best version. From there to the end, he was impeccable. And even imperial.
By his side (Lowry), or ahead of him (Fleetwood), others who have well-earned the killer card, did falter at the moment of truth. No one is always safe from an untimely anxiety, a moment of indecision, when the margin for error no longer exists. Not even guys like Lowry or Fleetwood. According to Waring’s historical precedents, it seemed that the final 64 of Tyrrell Hatton (another killer by definition) was going to be enough to at least force a playoff, but this time Paul sealed any cracks with an epic birdie putt on the 17th, sinking it from about ten metres, and with the flawless execution of every shot on the final par 5, the 18th, where he also capped off the week of his life with an excellent birdie. No one, not even Waring himself, knows at this point if this triumph will truly mark a before and after in his career. Moreover, he didn’t even seem particularly happy with the fact that he had already secured one of the ten PGA Tour cards that will be distributed next week in Dubai… Time will tell, although it is obvious that this veteran player has broken a barrier, has leapt to another dimension.
It hasn’t been a good Sunday for any Spanish player, except for the outstanding final 65 of Jorge Campillo (-13), which has made him climb more than twenty places. Alfredo García Heredia (-11) and Alejandro del Rey (-12) arrived at the emirate with the goal of making it to the Dubai Final, as they were clearly outside the top fifty of the Race, but neither could even come close, with final rounds of 73 and 69 strokes, respectively. The four who will be in Dubai next week (Hidalgo, Campillo, Otaegui, and Nacho Elvira) can still fight for a PGA Tour card, but none have gained ground this week in this regard and will need a great result in Dubai.
Finally, it is worth noting the third-place finish of Rory McIlroy (-21) after delivering a 64 today, as Thriston Lawrence, his main rival in the fight for the final victory in the Race to Dubai, has lost even more ground, finishing in sixth position. The situation is as follows: the South African can only win the Race if he wins the big Final next week, and he would still need Rory to finish something like outside the top ten of the tournament.
