Overnight leader Danny Willett battled hard to hold on to his lead on Sunday and got his reward with a final green, one shot win in the $2.5 million Dubai Desert Classic. At the Emirates Golf Club, the Englishman was finally caught up by the unrelenting chasing pack of Andy Sullivan and Spain's Rafael Cabrera-Bello on the 18th hole.
But the world number 20 stepped up and made a pressure-packed 15-feet birdie putt to win his fourth European Tour title.
Willett, who had opened up a three-shot lead mid-way through the front nine, had to battle hard on the back nine.
And as his rivals started making more birdies on the easier back nine, Willett had to grind out pars to stay ahead.
Sullivan, who had finished second in Dubai less than three months ago to Rory McIlroy in the DP World Tour Championship, made a birdie on the difficult par-3 15th hole, and then saved remarkable pars on the 16th and 17th holes after hitting errant drives.
But when it mattered the most - on the 18th hole - he hit a superb wedge third shot that spun back several yards and left him with a curling 12-feet birdie putt to get to 18-under par.
Sullivan did that to finish with a four-under par 68, and was joined at 18-under par moments later by Cabrera-Bello.
The Spaniard birdied the 17th hole and hit two towering shots to set up an eagle putt from the back of the green.
However, his effort from 35 feet just slid past the hole, leaving him with a tap-in birdie. Willett hit a good tee shot on the 18th, but rolled into the rough and had to lay up with his second.
The approach shot wasn't the best and left him with a testing 15 feet downhill putt to win the tournament outright, but he nailed it right in the middle.
Willett, who is expected to move into the top-15 of the world rankings for the first time in his career with the victory, said: "It's always great to come out early in the season and win.
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