Golf European Tour

Here's the difference between European Tour players and America's programmed PGA Tour robots.

Englishman Lee Westwood shot a final-round, course-record, 8-under 64 Sunday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to not only claim a six-shot tournament victory in the Dubai World Championship but also overtake Rory McIlroy on the season-long money list.

The veteran won $1.25 for the tournament title and another $1.5 for the year-long bonus.

Even more satisfying for Westwood, he did it by pulling his game out of a recent slump.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Lee Westwood of England became Europe's No. 1 golfer on Sunday after winning the Dubai World Championship by six strokes.

Westwood shot a course-record 8-under 64 in the final round at the Earth Course to finish at 23-under 265.

He earned $1.25 million with the 31st victory of his career to overtake Rory McIlroy on the season-long money list and win the European Tour's first Race to Dubai since it changed from the European Order of Merit.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Lee Westwood maintained his two-shot lead at the Dubai World Championships after shooting a 6-under 66 Saturday in the third round.

The Englishman made six birdies to take his total to 15-under 201. England's Ross McGowan was second after a 66.
Westwood opened up a five-shot advantage over Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, his only remaining rival for the Race to Dubai.

Should he win both titles, Westwood will receive $2.75 million and become Europe's No. 1 player for the first time since 2000.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Lee Westwood shot a 3-under 69 Friday to take a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Dubai World Championship, strengthening his chance of winning the European money title.

The English golfer could pick up two big prizes on Sunday. If he wins the last tournament of the European Tour season, he will receive $1.25 million in prize money -- plus a $1.5 million bonus for winning the Race to Dubai money prize.

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, the leader of the money race going into the tournament, also shot a 69. He was one of six players tied for second place at 7 under, two shots behind Westwood.

The others are Ireland's Padraig Harrington, England's Ross McGowan, Australia's Robert Allenby, South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen and Colombia's Camilo Villegas.
Westwood is confident of winning both prizes.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Robert Allenby shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday for a one-shot lead after the first round of the Dubai World Championship, while Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy kept up their battle for the European Tour money title.

Allenby, a 38-year-old Australian who plays mainly on the PGA tour, had eight birdies and only one bogey on the Earth Course, which is hosting the $7.5-million final event of the European Tour season.

Allenby was one shot ahead of England's Westwood, Chris Woods and Colombian Camilo Villegas, who all shot 6-under 66s.

Although golf season never truly sleeps, the completion of Sunday's WGC-HSBC Championship in Shanghai, China, does, for all meaningful purposes, give fans the OK to nod off until at least January when the PGA Tour starts all over again.

With the exception of this week's final tour stop at Disney World, where the story is a scramble for a spot among the season's top 125 money winners and exempt playing status for next season, nothing remains on the calendar that could significantly alter the memory of 2009.

That means two interesting and late-developing trends will carry over to 2010, providing golf an unaccustomed offseason water-cooler subject to debate.

Phil Mickelson won the World Golf Championship-HSBC Champions event Sunday in Shanghai, rallying with a spectacular finish after almost being run down from behind.

And it was not by Tiger Woods.

Golf keeps wanting to see a final-round tough-guy battle between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson for a tournament title. It gets one and it's halfway around the world.

At the World Golf Championship - HSBC in Shanghai, China, Mickelson holds a two shot lead over Woods and fellow American Nick Watney going into Sunday's final round.

Mickelson shot 67 Saturday to go 14-under while both Woods and Watney posted 70s to stand 12 under.

Tiger Woods plays golf all over the world, all the time, and tends not to discriminate when trophies come his way in different languages. Unfortunately, none of those trophies Woods holds are covered in Mandarin, but that could change if Tiger keeps it up at the HSBC Champions.

After two rounds in Shanghai, Tiger can't stop shooting 67s, and with a birdie on his final hole on Friday, Woods is tied for the lead at 10-under with first-round leader and fellow countryman Nick Watney.

Watney, ranked 32nd in the world, followed up his course record 64 on Thursday with a 2-under 70 to tie Woods and will be paired with Tiger on Saturday with a list of impressive golfers chasing, including 2007 HSBC champion Phil Mickelson, who is 9-under, just one shot back.

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If you didn't know any better when checking the leaderboard of the HSBC Champions, you'd think it was just another PGA Tour event. Unfortunately, it's not, but with all the American flags hibernating near the top, five of the top-12 to be exact, you'd think this tournament was being held in the States, not in Shanghai, China.

Nick Watney, an American, set the course record at Sheshan International Golf Club on Thursday with a 8-under 64, but near his heels are a few well known names, including Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, playing in this event together for the first time.

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