Thomas Pieters wins the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the sixth and biggest title of his career
The Belgian clinched the title from Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello and India’s Shubhankar Sharma.
Thomas Pieters carded an assured final round of level-par 72 on a day of nasty pin placements at Yas Links to claim the 2022 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
The Belgian's 10-under 278 total left him one shot clear of Spain's Rafa Cabrera Bello and India's Shubhankar Sharma, with many of the big names in the field - Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Adam Scott among them - tripping up on and around the greens.
.@Thomas_Pieters wins the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 🏆 #ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/ETHNHrDroM
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 23, 2022
The Pieters Principle
It's the law that should forever remind us that one very fine performance at the highest level does not lead inevitably to further immediate success there.
"I just hope all the juniors are watching this back home." @Thomas_Pieters hopes to have inspired all the young golfers back in Belgium 🙌#ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/9gcT8xOjod
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 23, 2022
Big name struggles on Sunday
Rory McIlroy began the weekend with little hope after opening rounds of 72-75, but he added a Saturday 67 and at 6-under-par through 13 holes of his final round he reached 8-under for the tournament. The prospect of setting an imposing clubhouse target seemed real. Whereupon he pressed too hard at the short par-4 14th, made bogey and added two more to finish T12th.
Rory McIlroy reflects on his week 💬#ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/OGvcFPmZl4
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 23, 2022
Shane Lowry had ended the third round in a chipper mood and was drawn in the final three-ball. Game on? In theory, and he duly found the first fairway, but that was the end of the good news. He needed another six blows to complete the par-4, added a second front nine seven at the par-5 seventh, and limped home in 77 shots to end the week alongside McIlroy on the leaderboard.