Thorbjorn Olesen won his eighth DP World Tour title with victory at the Ras al Khaimah Championship; Rory McIlroy is back in action on the PGA Tour at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am from this Thursday - live on Sky Sports
Sunday 28 January 2024 15:23, UK
Thorbjorn Olesen romped to a six-shot win from Rasmus Hojgaard at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship to claim his eighth DP World Tour title.
The 2018 Ryder Cup star entered the fourth round with a four-shot lead and, while an early wobble saw that wiped out, he eagled the eighth and came home in 33 to sign for a 67 and a 27 under-par total as all his rivals faltered.
Compatriot Hojgaard was his nearest challenger after a 69, one shot clear of Frenchman Frederic Lacroix.
Olesen is likely to play much of his golf in the United States this season after securing his PGA Tour card via finishing ninth on last year's Race to Dubai, but the UAE resident elected to tee it up in Ras Al Khaimah this week rather than at the Farmers Insurance Open and was rewarded with a convincing victory.
"It was still a battle out there, it got close and you've got one of the most solid players [Hojgaard] right behind you so I knew it was going to be tough and we were tied for the lead very quickly," he said.
"I played some nice golf coming in and holed the right putts at the right time. To win was a goal and it was nice to get that here, especially being here at my new home.
"It's always a place I like to come to, not just for golf but for holidays. It's a great place and I'm really happy that I could get a win here."
Olesen birdied the first but a poor tee shot on the second led to a double-bogey and, while he birdied the third from 36 feet, so did Hojgaard after also picking up a shot on the first.
Hojgaard then made further gains on the fifth and seventh to join the lead but he hit a shank and made a bogey on the eighth, where Olesen put his second to six feet to set up an eagle and a three-shot lead.
The Dane could then only play the back nine in level par and Olesen birdied the 10th, 14th and last to storm to victory.
Lacroix finished third on 20 under after a 68, three shots clear of a group containing England's Callum Shinkwin.
The DP World Tour stays in the Middle East for the Bahrain Championship. Watch live on Thursday from 8am on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour and more on NOW.
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