The Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship threw up yet another surprising champion, this time in the form of 22-year-old Frenchman Gary Stal, who became the biggest beneficiary of Martin Kaymer’s stunning collapse over the National course.
Stal, ranked 357th in the world, made up the eight-shot difference he had against the German world No12 at the start of the day. He played a majority of his round without any care in the world and making birdies galore, knowing he was just fighting for a second place.
But when needed, Stal displayed nerves of steel as he topped his current favourite golfer, world No1 Rory McIlroy, while Kaymer faded away to third place.
Stal had made six birdies in his first 11 holes, but that just got him to within five shots of Kaymer, before the German made his triple bogey on the 13th hole.
Standing on the 15th tee, Stal glanced up the leaderboard and received the shock of his life. From nowhere, he was now leading the championship by one shot.
And that’s when the youngster showed his true character. Summoning every ounce of courage and concentration left inside him, he embarked on what seemed like Mission Impossible a few minutes ago. On the tough par-4 16th hole, Stal made the all-important birdie putt from 20 feet to open the eventual one-shot lead over McIlroy.
Up ahead on the 18th, McIlroy (66) almost holed his bunker shot for an eagle, but could only manage a birdie. That miss gave Stal the breathing space to lay up with his second shot on the 18th, and then two-putt for a par and his maiden European Tour win.
Kaymer could have tied with McIlroy with a birdie on the 18th, but a par meant he finished third at 271, with Stal’s compatriot and world number 19 Victor Dubuisson and Belgium’s Thomas Pieters tying for the fourth place at 272.
A two-time winner on the Challenge Tour in 2012, Stal was playing in Abu Dhabi for the second time, having missed the cut here last year. The win earns him a three-year-exemption and he is expected to break into the top-100 of the world rankings.
“It’s really crazy and I am very happy to win this tournament,” said Stal.
“It’s unbelievable to win, because when I saw the leaderboard on the fifth hole, I saw Martin Kaymer on 23‑under, and I said, it’s not possible to win.
“But when I saw the leaderboard on the 16th, I saw him at 17‑under. So, in my head, I say, it’s possible, you can do it.
“My heartbeat went up, but I tried to stay focused on the next shot. I just wanted to continue to play the same way. And I did.”
Stal said he felt for Kaymer, but was excited about what the win does for his future.
“Obviously, I feel for him, and if I was in his shoes, I would feel kind of in the dumps, if I can put it that way. But as a competitor, I’m very happy,” said Stal, who started crying remembering his mother Christine, who passed away last year when he was playing the BMW Championship at Wentworth in May.
“To win my first tournament was my aim. It’s basically a step towards my goals. It’s going to allow me to practice differently.”
Among other big names in the fray, world No6 Justin Rose and four time major champion Ernie Els both shot rounds of six-under par 66 and finished tied 12th at 12-under par. World No10 Rickie Fowler (71) was tied 66th at two-under par total.
