Rafael Cabrera-Bello has achieved his second victory on the European Tour by brilliantly winning one of the most important tournaments on the calendar, the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, in which he was able to overcome players like Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy, who finished second and fifth respectively, in an evenly matched final.
The Spaniard signed an exceptional round of 68 strokes to move up one step in the ranking and retake the lead he already held on the first day. He beat Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher and Lee Westwood himself by one stroke. One fact illustrates Rafael Cabrera-Bello’s phenomenal performance: he only made three bogeys in 72 holes.
The golfer from the Canary Islands started the day in second place, just one stroke behind the British Lee Westwood, who was presumed to be the main rival to beat. However, despite starting with an eagle on the second hole, he could not overcome Rafael Cabrera, who was an example of patience and success on those holes where there was a birdie option (2, 10, 12 and 17).
Before this round, Rafael Cabrera-Bello’s 63 strokes on the first day, in which he already warned that this could be his week, were still hanging around. In addition, seven other Spaniards made the cut: Ignacio Garrido (28th), Álvaro Quirós (37th), Pablo Larrazábal (42nd), Jorge Campillo (51st), Alejandro Cañizares (62nd), José Manuel Lara (73rd) and Miguel Ángel Jiménez (79th).
The 27-year-old from Gran Canaria, a professional since 2005 and who already had a victory on the European Tour (Austrian Open in 2009) has succeeded Miguel Ángel Jiménez (2010) and Álvaro Quirós (2011) as champion of the Dubai tournament in the list of winners.
He is the fifth Spaniard to win in Dubai, since in the 90’s Seve Ballesteros (1992) and José Mari Olazábal (1998), his “idols”, for whom he recognizes that he is dedicated to professional golf. With this one, the number of Spanish victories in the European Tour amounts to 164.
Rafa has achieved the second victory in his 151st participation in the European Tour, playing 72 tournaments between the first and this one; among them, his best result was a second place in Portugal in 2011. In addition, he holds two other titles on the Challenge Tour: Credit Suisse 2008 and Man No Open in 2006.
This win places him fourth in the Race to Dubai and ninth in the Ryder Cup standings, also carries a two-year exemption on Tour until the end of 2014, and has opened the door to the Bridgestone Invitational and the HSBC Champions. Depending on what happens tonight at the PGA Tour’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, he could also qualify for the Accenture Match Play Championship.
Statements by Rafa Cabrera-Bello
“This victory is very, very special. To win a tournament that has also been won by my idols Ballesteros and Olazábal, and teammates like Miguel Ángel Jiménez and my friend Álvaro Quirós, means a lot; it fills me with pride to contribute my grain of sand to the history of this great tournament.
Ballesteros and Olazábal are the reason why I play golf, I grew up watching videos of Seve and seeing Chema win the two Masters, thanks to them I play golf professionally. The feeling of sharing a trophy with them is indescribable.
When I won in Austria it was at the last moment and almost by surprise, but here I took the lead on the first day and I fought to stay at the top until the end. You can’t compare them, but this victory was more hard work. In Austria I did minus 11 on the last day to win by one stroke, it was incredible and surely unrepeatable. Here, I suffered but I also enjoyed it. In every shot I made, I was fighting for the title.
I tried to stay calm but the procession was inside, there were moments under a lot of pressure, which is how I enjoy and like to compete.
It makes me very happy to see that my game has taken an important qualitative leap and has allowed me to win a tournament of such a high level as this one. I am still not aware of what tournaments I will get into or what position in the World Ranking I will climb but, without a doubt, this victory will give me the opportunity to play more frequently with the best in the world and participate in more prestigious tournaments. It is the leap in quality that I was looking for, it will open many opportunities for me and it means a lot, it reaffirms that I am working in the right way, I am seeing the fruits and the effort is rewarded with more than enough.
Golf requires a lot of patience and that’s what I’ve done this week, it’s a lesson I learned a long time ago. There was a moment on Thursday when I started to think about the 59 strokes and I said to myself: “stop, where are you going? I went back to focusing on my game and taking it one stroke at a time.
Today I went out to play very calmly, with nothing to fear, to give everything but concentrated on my game, without thinking about what the others were doing. I immediately put myself in the position I like the most, in tension and with a chance to win, and I feel very proud to have achieved it following the planned strategy.
Despite the pressure I felt very comfortable, I knew that if I made birdies they would have a hard time. I was very happy with the par I saved on the 16th, I had taken too many risks; and the birdie on the 17th I knew it was essential to put the ball in their court. I don’t know what they were thinking at that moment but… whoever hits first, hits twice.
At all times I have kept my chances even though, in this sport, you know that the lead can volatilize in no time and the situation can turn around when you least expect it. I feel proud because I have shown that I am capable of measuring myself with the best and this gives me a lot of confidence.
Tonight I’ll celebrate with the Spaniards, it’s my turn to buy dinner!”
Leave a Reply