Peter Uihlein emerged victorious at the $2.5 million International Series Qatar, clinching a commanding five-shot win at Doha Golf Club.
The American golfer, who led since day two, concluded with a three-under-par 69 to finish at a stellar 16-under, marking his second win in The International Series this year and propelling him to the top of the rankings.
Charl Schwartzel from South Africa claimed the runner-up spot with a 68, while Louis Oosthuizen, also from South Africa, and Filipino Miguel Tabuena tied for third, just two shots further back.
John Catlin of the USA tied for 19th after scoring a 71, securing the Asian Tour Order of Merit title with one event remaining, the $5 million PIF Saudi International.
Uihlein started the day with a narrow one-stroke lead but expanded it to four by the halfway mark.
Despite Schwartzel’s late surge with birdies on the 16th and 17th, Uihlein solidified his lead with crucial plays, including a pivotal 12-foot par putt on the 15th, followed by birdies on the 16th and 18th holes.
Reflecting on his performance, Uihlein remarked: “Yeah, it was a good day and yesterday was good as well, it was a very solid weekend.
I think I only missed a total of five greens for the weekend around here. When the wind is blowing, that’s pretty good.
Felt pretty solid, felt in control. The putt on 15 was nice, to get up and down there, and I got a nice break in the rough.
It was funny, I tried to do a little different mindset for me this week, at least on the back nine.
I kind of saw the board, and that I had a four-shot lead, and I was basically just trying to play match play against the golf course and par was a good score.
I felt like if I could beat the back nine, I was going to be in good position, so making those birdies at the end was kind of nice for my little mini-goal.”
Schwartzel’s notable round began with an eagle on the first par-five and ended as the day’s lowest score.
He shared his thoughts on the challenging conditions: “It was a fantastic putting round today, I made so many feet of putts.
It was tough again you know; the wind hasn’t stopped blowing for the last three days.
And you know, the golf course has been quite penalising when you miss the fairways and it’s hard to hit the fairways with the crosswinds and stuff.
So, it was always going to be a grind, and I needed a good putting round. I putted well and yeah, I was happy with my round.”
This victory at Doha is a redemption for Uihlein after a near miss in Thailand, and it sets the stage for a thrilling finale in the series, with significant points still up for grabs.
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