German Martin Kaymer was strolling towards a third win in four years at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.
Kaymer increased his five stroke overnight lead into an eight shot advantage after only five holes of the final round.
While he birdied the second and third to improve to 20 under par, nearest overnight challenger Rory McIlroy followed his matching four on the long second with bogeys at two of the next three.
They dropped the Ulsterman into a tie for second with England's David Lynn on 12 under.
Victory would see Kaymer replace Tiger Woods as World Number Two, making it the first all-European top two - Lee Westwood is certain to remain World Number One - in the Official World Golf Ranking since Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer in 1993.
McIlroy did come back with a birdie on the sixth, but both he and Kaymer parred the next three and that gave the US PGA Championship winner a seven shot cushion entering the final nine holes.
South African Retief Goosen, only 15th when he teed off, joined McIlroy in second spot with an outward 31 and then further birdies on the 12th and 13th.
McIlroy started the back nine with back-to-back birdies, but Kaymer also made four at the par five tenth and another on the 14th restored a seven shot gap.
Goosen birdied the last for a best-of-the-week 64 and was one behind McIlroy in third spot.
