Jan 23 (Reuters) – Thomas Pieters sealed his sixth European Tour title with a one-shot victory in a thrilling final round of the HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
The Belgian carded a level-par 72 in testing conditions at Yas Links to hold off the chasing pack.
Pieters, 29, finished the tournament on 10-under-par, one clear of Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello and India’s Shubhankar Sharma, and two ahead of Frenchman Victor Dubuisson and Norway’s Viktor Hovland.
“I just hope all the juniors back at home are watching this. I used to watch as a kid and think it was impossible for me but then Nico (fellow Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts) came on the scene and started winning.”
Defending champion Tyrrell Hatton ended at seven-under alongside fellow Englishmen James Morrison and Ian Poulter, and Denmark’s Jeff Winther, with overnight leader Scott Jamieson and major champion Adam Scott a further shot back.