Golf: Garcia enjoys duel with Stenson

The 37-year-old was involved in a thrilling tussle with Stenson, the two-time Race to Dubai winner before a shot a three-under and 19-under for the tournament

Spaniard Sergio Garcia said that he enjoyed the final round battle with Sweden's Henrik Stenson and felt that it was probably the best four rounds he has played in a long time.
Garcia conjured four solid rounds of 65, 67, 68, 69 to clinch the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at the Majlis Course of the Emirates Golf Club on Sunday.
The 37-year-old was involved in a thrilling tussle with Stenson, the two-time Race to Dubai winner before a shot a three-under and 19-under for the tournament. Garcia went on to win by three shots over Stenson.
"It was great. I'm looking forward to next week. Relax a little bit and rest a bit. It was hard out there. Henrik always makes it difficult, which is great, and you know, we both played hard. I'm very happy that I was able to come out on top," Garcia said after lifting the heavy Arabic Coffee Pot Trophy.
"I was playing well. But yeah, you know that Henrik can get on those stretches where he birdies three or four holes, and then it becomes quite tight," he added.
Garcia got engaged to his long-time girlfriend Angela Akins last month and believed he was in a good space at the moment.
"I think it always helps. I think that when things are going well off the golf course it's much easier to feel comfortable on a golf course, because there are no worries outside and you can concentrate on what you're doing out there on the course," he said.
"So it definitely helps. I'm not going to lie. You know, I'm excited about a lot of the things that are coming, not only my way, but also Angela's way, and our families and stuff. So you know, we're very excited about the future coming," he added.
Despite winning a plethora of titles and blessed with a lot of talent, Garcia is yet to win a Major. And quite naturally, every time he does well, the question has always been if he could finally break the drought.
Garcia has had near misses, with two tied second place finishes at The Open Championship in 2007 and 2014 and two tied second places at the PGA Championship in 1999 and 2008. He has also finished tied third at the US Open in 2005 and tied fourth at the Masters in 2004.
"I mean, it's simple. When I get to Augusta, US Open, the British Open, PGA, I just want to do the best I can. It is just like I try any other week. So that's not going to change," said Garcia.
Meanwhile, Stenson too enjoyed that battle with Garcia.
"I was trying. I was three shots back at the start of the day and Sergio made an early birdie, so I was trailing all day. I was expecting that. I needed to come up with some really solid play, and even though I didn't quite play my best, I still managed to sneak a couple of birdies in there in the middle of the back nine and move closer," said Stenson.
And he gave credit Garcia for the way he played. "He played solid. I played three out of the four rounds with him, and he put a really good score together the first day and just carried that kind of momentum throughout the whole week. Kept it tidy and you know, took his chances when he had them and saved himself when he needed to," he said.
james@khaleejtimes.com