DUBAI // Shortly after breakfast, they paraded across the final green at the Earth Course in the blazing sunshine, standing in straight little lines, trying to hit their spots on cue.
Officials with the DP World Tour Championship were practicing the choreography of the prize-giving ceremony, complete with markers placed on the 18th green so that the two-dozen participants all stood in the proper locations.
They probably should have invited Henrik Stenson, too.
In what seems like a fait accompli, the world No 3 birdied four of the last five holes to shoot 67 in the third round at Jumeirah Golf Estates on Saturday, giving the stoic Swede a one-stroke lead heading into the final day of the European Tour season.
With friends and foes alike dogging him for months, Stenson has stubbornly held his ground as the seasonal Race to Dubai leader, and if he wins the tournament proper on Sunday, he’ll be leaving with both the seasonal title in hand, too. In a memorable season of reclamation and rejuvenation – not to mention an exhausting 29 starts – he is one day shy of becoming the first player to win the US and European points titles in the same year.
Stenson, 37, is attempting to repeat his feat from September in Atlanta, when he won the Tour Championship in Atlanta to nail down the PGA Tour’s seasonal FedEx Cup crown. Head down, sunglasses on, mind clear, ignore the growing cacophony of noise.
“If I can do that, we know both of them will come home with me,” he said of the two Dubai trophies. “One shot at a time, like I have done so far.”
And so long.
A marked man for weeks, Stenson has held off an army of every conceivable ilk to keep his seasonal lead. If he wins, there’s no way anyone can deny him a Dubai double. At 17 under, he has tied the 54-hole tournament mark.
“He’s been playing well in contention for quite a while now, and he seems to be getting used to it,” said Justin Rose, who is tied for sixth, six shots back.
Ranked outside the top 100 just 13 months ago, Stenson has been in a steep ascent, contending in multiple majors and winning twice in the States. He was chased yesterday, and even passed at a couple of points, but managed to nudge across the line with the lead after a birdie on the par-5 18th.
He will play in the final round alongside Frenchman Victor Dubuisson, who is seeking his second career title – in an eight-day span. After winning for the first time last weekend in Turkey, Dubuisson briefly surged ahead Saturday, making 11 birdies en route to a 64.
“I am excited,” said the low-key Frenchman, 23, his voice not exactly conveying the same sentiment. “He’s the player I think is on the best form at the moment.”
If not the past six months.
It promises to be riveting theater, especially with Stenson’s Florida neighbor, Ian Poulter, throwing around playful verbal jabs to make it interesting. As Stenson conducted a post-round TV interview, he was being dive-bombed by a persistent horsefly, which is reminiscent of how Poulter has buzzed and flitted around him for the past few weeks.
“I’ve put myself in position to kick his backside,” said the Englishman, who is tied for third, four shots back. “Hopefully, I can have some fun with him tomorrow. I can’t ask for anything more going into the last day of the year.”
At fourth on the points table, Poulter needs to win and for Stenson to finish third or worse to overtake the Swede for the Race to Dubai title. The jokes and strokes have been flying fast and furious.
“It’s the most fun I have had on the golf course,” Poulter said.
Indeed, he was quickly reminded of his boast of a day earlier.
“I said, ‘I’ll catch him’,” Poulter said with a smile. “It’s whether I can keep ahold of him.”
Rose, the US Open champion, can also secure the Race to Dubai title with a victory. Last year, he closed with a course-record 62 on the Earth Course, and it might take a comparable effort to head off Stenson, who is playing the most impressive golf of his career.
“I’m doing my best to stay with them,” Rose said. “I need to win, and have some good golfers ahead of me, but you’ve got to be in it to win it.”
Stenson has shown few signs of yielding, and now two more lucrative prizes are within arm’s reach.
“I’ll go at it with all I’ve got,” Stenson said. “I’ve got one more round left in the season.”
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