| -21 N Hojgaard (Den); -19 V Hovland (Nor), M Wallace (Eng), T Fleetwood (Eng); -17 J Rahm (Spa), T Lawrence (SA), M Pavon (Fra) |
| Selected others: -15 E Ferguson (Sco); -14 T Hatton (Eng); -12 D Bradbury; -11 S Lowry (Ire), R McIntyre (Sco); -10 R McIlroy (NI) |
| Full leaderboard |
Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard won the DP World Tour Championship by two shots in Dubai as Englishmen Matt Wallace and Tommy Fleetwood slipped up in their final round.
Hojgaard, 22, started the final day two shots off the lead but nine birdies in a round of a 64 left him 21-under par.
Viktor Hovland, Wallace and Fleetwood finished two shots further back on 19-under.
“It means a lot, it’s the sweetest one,” Hojgaard told Sky Sports.
“So much hard work has been put in over the last couple of years and this year has been a really good one if I look back on it, the only thing that was missing was a win.
“To get a win this week in this field has been unbelievable. This win is for my family, everything they’ve put in over the years.”
Hojgaard shot five birdies in the final six holes to land his first Rolex Series title and third DP World Tour Championship, having also lifted trophies at the 2021 Italian Open and 2022 Ras Al Khaimah Championship.
The Dane faced a nervous wait when he was unable to make it six birdies in a row on the 18th, arriving at the clubhouse just one shot clear of Fleetwood.
A bogey on the 17th from Fleetwood meant he required an eagle on the final hole, but the Englishman could only find par.
It was a mixed weekend for Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy as he finished in a tie for 22nd on 10-under but celebrated winning the Race to Dubai for the fifth time.
McIlroy told Sky Sports: “It’s great, it shows my consistency year to year.
“Over the last 10 years I’ve won eight season-long titles between here and America, so it shows my consistency. It’s just about being clinical when I get to weeks where I have a chance to win.
“Overall it has been another great year, the stroke average has been great and hopefully more of the same going into next year and beyond.”
Seve Ballesteros sits one clear of McIlroy with six Race to Dubai titles, while Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie holds the record with eight.
McIlroy added: “I’ve still got a little bit left in the tank, I think I’ve got a good eight to 10 years in me where I can play at the top level.
“I’d like to think I’m going to try and get past Seve and Monty. It’s a goal of mine for the rest of my career to do something like that, it would mean a lot to me.”