DUBAI: France’s Antoine Rozner powered to a two-shot victory at the Golf in Dubai Championship on Saturday to claim his first European Tour title.
The 27-year-old started the final round four strokes adrift of Englishman Andy Sullivan, but carded an eight-under 64 to finish the event on a winning score of 25 under par.
Rozner’s triumph caps a strong rookie season on the European Tour, having won two titles on the second-tier Challenge Tour last year.
“It means a lot. It’s been such a strange year, we have been through so much all over the world and to be able to get it done in such nice fashion, eight under, it’s amazing,” the world number 204 told europeantour.com.
Sullivan, bidding for a wire-to-wire win after starting the tournament with an 11-under 61 on Wednesday, led Rozner’s compatriot Mike Lorenzo-Vera by two shots heading into the back nine.
But Rozner flew out of the chasing pack with three straight birdies from the ninth, before an eagle on the par-five 13th gave him the lead.
Sullivan stuttered with a bogey on the 16th and had to settle for a 70, ending in a tie for second with Lorenzo-Vera, Francesco Laporta and Matt Wallace.
Rozner birdied the 18th to set a clubhouse target which proved too challenging for his rivals to match.
