Sunday 22 January 2017 20:08, UK
Tommy Fleetwood ended a three-and-a-half year winless run on the European Tour with a one-shot victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
The Englishman mixed four birdies with an eagle on his way to a five-under 67 at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, to secure a first victory since the 2013 Johnnie Walker Championship.
Fleetwood finished one ahead of Dustin Johnson and Pablo Larrazabal, with Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Bernd Wiesberger and Martin Kaymer a further stroke back.
Aphibarnrat grabbed the early initiative and leapfrogged the overnight leader, Tyrrell Hatton, with birdies on his first two holes, before temporarily moving two ahead when Hatton bogeyed the third.
Kaymer birdied the second and racked up a hat-trick of gains from the sixth, but bogeyed the ninth to head in to the back nine level with Aphibarnrat at the top of the leaderboard.
Three consecutive birdies around the turn lifted Larrazabal within one of the lead, as Kaymer dropped a shot at the 10th to join a growing group one off the pace.
Fleetwood followed an eagle-three at the 10th with a birdie at the next hole to go alongside playing partner Aphibarnrat, who cancelled out a bogey after finding water at the 12th with a gain at the next.
Three consecutive bogeys from the 10th saw Hatton slip out of contention, as Larrazabal drained a 30-footer at the 12th and chipped in at the 14th to make it a three-way tie for the lead.
Larrazabal missed from eight feet at the next to drop in to 14 under, which saw him fall two strokes back when Fleetwood birdied the 16th to move ahead.
Fleetwood closed his round with a two-putt gain to set the target at 17 under and leave Larrazabal needing a chip-in eagle to force a play-off, but the Spaniard could only make a birdie-four.
An eagle at the 18th saw Johnson grab a share of second, with Aphibarnat dropping in to tied-fourth after closing his three-under 69 with a par at the last.
South Africa's Dean Burmester claimed seventh spot on 14 under, with Lee Westwood and Open Champion Henrik Stenson a further stroke back.
