Former world number two Sergio Garcia is hoping his Qatar Masters victory is an encouraging sign of good things to come for the Spaniard this season.
The Ryder Cup stalwart picked up the 11th European Tour win of his career, and his 26th worldwide, by beating Finland`s Mikko Ilonen at the third hole of a sudden-death playoff in Doha on Saturday.
Garcia is one of the finest golfers never to have won a major championship and his eye-catching performance in the Middle East will tempt a lot of punters to back him for the U.S. Masters at Augusta in April.
"I hope this is the start of an amazing year," he told the tournament`s official website (www.qatar-masters.com) after lifting the grand Mother of Pearl Trophy.
"Last year I had a lot of close calls, starting here, so I`m very excited to be able to get my hands on this trophy - this beautiful and heavy trophy.
"It`s great to set up my year a little bit, to win again on the European Tour," said Garcia who last triumphed on the circuit when he captured the Andalucia Masters title in October 2011.
It was the eighth straight year the 34-year-old had competed in Qatar and victory over Ilonen made amends for his near-miss 12 months earlier when he was edged out by Briton Chris Wood`s last-hole eagle.
"I`m thrilled to finally be able to win here," said Garcia who ended the regulation 72 holes alongside the Finn on 16-under-par 272.
EXCITING FINISH
"I`ve been close several times so it feels great to finally get over the finish line and go home with the trophy.
"I`ve been coming here for eight straight years so the crowd are used to seeing me which is nice. That always makes you feel comfortable," added world number 11 Garcia who has racked up a total of seven top-10 finishes in Doha.
"The crowd really made me feel that and hopefully they felt the same way. It was an exciting finish and you could see the crowd also got excited," he said after edging past Ilonen at the 18th with his third birdie four at the playoff hole.
Ilonen, who was aiming for his fourth tour win, said he lost to the better man.
"I played good golf this week so I can`t be too disappointed," said the 34-year-old Finn.
"I gave it my best shot but Sergio was a bit better this time. There`s no shame in losing to a great player like him."
The final leg of the tour`s three-week Desert Swing, which kicked off with Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal`s victory in Abu Dhabi, will be at the Dubai Desert Classic that starts on Thursday.
Among the competitors in Dubai are world number one Tiger Woods, third-ranked Henrik Stenson and number seven Rory McIlroy.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.