England’s Daniel Gavins survived an unbelievable final-hole blunder to assert his second DP World Tour title within the Ras Al Khaimah Championship.
Gavins was in peril of squandering a three-shot lead when he twice discovered the water on the par-five 18th at Al Hamra Golf Club, solely to gap from 25 toes for a double-bogey seven.
That gave the 31-year-old a complete of 17 underneath par and a one-shot victory over Alexander Bjork and Zander Lombard, who was unable to transform an eagle putt from 24 toes on the final to pressure a play-off.
“I’m pretty speechless to be honest,” Gavins, who didn’t have a follow spherical this week as a result of a again harm, informed Sky Sports. “I’ve been struggling off the tee the last two weeks and it’s not a very nice tee shot to have (on 18), even with a two-shot lead.
“It was a difficult hole to get through and to be fair I thought I was holing that putt for a play-off. I didn’t realise Bjork had made bogey.
“I’d put two in the water and I thought that’s one way to end the tournament. I sunk the putt and went to the back of the green and saw that I was actually winning still. It was kind of a big shock.”
Gavins started the day two pictures off the lead held by Lombard and bogeyed the primary gap, however responded brilliantly to birdie the subsequent 5 in succession earlier than one other birdie on the eighth gave him a two-stroke lead.
Bogeys on the ninth and twelfth dropped Gavins again right into a tie for the lead with Bjork, however the 31-year-old birdied the 14th and fifteenth to maneuver two clear once more earlier than the drama unfolded on 18.
Having pushed into the water, Gavins hit a super drive along with his second ball however was unaware that, within the group forward, Bjork had three-putted from lengthy vary for a closing bogey.
Gavins subsequently selected to not lay up along with his fourth shot and hit a fairway wooden into the water earlier than taking a penalty drop, pitching on to the inexperienced and holing from 25 toes to seal a outstanding win.
Lombard had fallen 4 pictures off the lead following an erratic first 10 holes containing an eagle, one birdie and 5 bogeys, however birdied the eleventh and twelfth and narrowly did not eagle the final to pressure further holes.
