SUNDAY FEBUARY 1, 2015 – OMEGA DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC
• His tenth European Tour International Schedule victory in his 145th European Tour event.
• Moves to 631,977 points in The Race to Dubai.
• Extends his lead at the top of the Official World Golf Ranking. He goes to 11.6605.
• His first European Tour International Schedule victory since the 2014 US PGA Championship.
• His second victory in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, following his maiden European Tour triumph in 2009.
• Joins Ernie Els (1994, 02, 05), Tiger Woods (2006, 08) and Stephen Gallacher (2013, 14), as players to record multiple victories in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
• His third European Tour victory in Dubai; They are: 2009 Dubai Desert Classic, 2012 DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and the 2015 Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
• Claims his fourth European Tour victory in his last seven European Tour appearances. Won The 143rd Open Championship, WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and US PGA Championship, in 2014. He was tied second in the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, tied second in the 2014 DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, second in the 2015 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and first in the 2015 Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
• Extends his European Tour record for the most consecutive top two finishes in Tour history to seven, as a result of this victory. (The next best was five consecutive events by Seve Ballesteros in 1988).
• His second victory in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in his ninth appearance.
• Continues with his incredible record in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Here are his last six results. Was first in 2009, sixth in 2010, tenth in 2011, fifth in 2012, ninth in 2014 and first in 2015.
• His winning total of 266 (-22) matches the lowest winning total and in relation to par, by Thomas Bjørn (2001) and Stephen Gallacher (2013), in the history of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
OTHER FACTS
• His winning total of 266 (-22) is the lowest total and in relation to par of the 2015 season, beating the 268 (-20) of Branden Grace (Alfred Dunhill Championship).
• The second European Tour event he has recorded six career top ten finishes in. The first was the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. (Although the Omega Dubai Desert Classic is the first time he has recorded six top ten finishes in consecutive appearances in the same event).
• The seventh of his ten European Tour titles where he has won when leading going into the final round.
• Becomes the third victory this season by a player leading or sharing the lead going into the final round. Branden Grace won both the Alfred Dunhill Championship and Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, won after leading after 54 holes.
• Becomes the sixth different golfer to win three or more European Tour titles in the Middle East. He follows: Ernie Els and Henrik Stenson (both four) Paul Casey, Martin Kaymer and Alvaro Quiros (all three).
• Is now 118 under par for his last seven European Tour events, dating back to The 143rd Open Championship, last year.
• Is now 81 under par for his last six appearances in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
• For his last 24 rounds in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, has been at par or better in 20 of the 24, with a stroke average of 69.
• Since The 143rd Open Championship in 2014, he has played 28 European Tour rounds and has been over par just once. This was a 73 (+1) in round one of the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
• Aged 25 years and 272 days becomes the youngest player to win the Omega Dubai Desert Classic twice.
• Following the US PGA Championship (2012, 14), this victory means the Omega Dubai Desert Classic is the second European Tour event he has won on two occasions.
• The first Northern Irish victory of the 2015 season.
• The 55th Northern Irish win in European Tour history.
• Extends Northern Ireland’s run of consecutive winning years on The European Tour to eight, dating back to the 2008 season.
• Becomes the third Northern Irishman to reach ten or more European Tour wins. He follows: Darren Clarke with 14 and Graeme McDowell with ten.
• Becomes the fourth youngest player to record their first ten European Tour titles. They are: Seve Ballesteros (22), Tiger Woods (24), José María Olazábal (25) and Rory McIlroy (25).
