Cal Golf: Collin Morikawa Finishes 18th at Dubai; Viktor Hovland Wins in Playoff

Morikawa cards back-to-back 71s in the tournament's final two days.
Cal Golf: Collin Morikawa Finishes 18th at Dubai; Viktor Hovland Wins in Playoff
Cal Golf: Collin Morikawa Finishes 18th at Dubai; Viktor Hovland Wins in Playoff /

Collin Morikawa climbed to a six-way tie for 18th place on the final day of the Dubai Desert Classic, shooting a one-under 71 on Sunday.

The 24-year-old Cal grad wound up at five-under for the tournament after back-to-back 71s in the final two rounds. Ranked No. 2 in the world, Morikawa opened the tournament with a 68 then had a one-over 73 on Friday, his worst round of the week.

He was tied for 20th entering Sunday's final round.

A week ago, with the chance to ascend to No. 1 in the world rankings, Morikawa finished in a tie for 62nd place at Abu Dhabi.

Viktor Hovland, the 24-year-old Norwegian who played his collegiate golf at Oklahoma State, beat 48-year-old Englishman Richard Bland on the first playoff hole to capture the Dubai title.

Hovland made a short birdie putt on the first playoff hole to win his third tournament in the past five.

The two finished regulation play tied at 12 under par after a furious finish by Hovland. He made a 35-foot birdie putt on No. 16, and scored an eagle on 17 before both players made birdie on No. 18 to force the extra hole.

Rory McIlroy finished third at minus-11 after missing a chance to win in regulation when he bogeyed the 18th hole. McIlroy has won the event twice before, most recently 13 years ago.

Hovland had a final-round 66 and Bland — who has one international victor on his resume but no top-10 finishes on the PGA tour — closed with a 68 on Sunday.

“This is pretty wild, I didn’t really think this was possible going into today,” Hovland told Sky Sports. “I knew I had to shoot a real low number, but a lot of things had to go my way. I’m thankful that it did.

“I was fuming after the three-putt on 15. I felt that was it. I just had to try to finish off well and I rolled a really long one in on 16 and then, on 17, hey, we got a shot. I’m pumping right now. It’s a bit surreal.”

Cover photo of Collin Morikawa by Christopher Hanewinckel, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo


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Jeff Faraudo
JEFF FARAUDO

Jeff Faraudo was a sports writer for Bay Area daily newspapers since he was 17 years old, and was the Oakland Tribune's Cal beat writer for 24 years. He covered eight Final Fours, four NBA Finals and four Summer Olympics.