With Sergio Garcia and George Coetzee tied for the clubhouse lead 17-under par, Chris Wood made a magnificent eagle at the last to leap frog over them and get the win in the Qatar Masters.
Standing on the 18th tee Wood needed a birdie at the last to tie Garcia and Coetzee and join a playoff. He mashed a perfect drive down the center of the fairway, struck a beautiful iron shot to within 12 feet of the hole and calmly rolled in the eagle putt. The Commercial Bank Qatar Masters is his first European Tour win.
Englishman Chris Wood at 6’5” is the tallest golfer on any tour. He turned professional after a stellar performance in the 2008 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale posting a T-5 finish.
He also finished T-3 in the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry that featured 59-year-old Tom Watson losing in a playoff to Stewart Cink.
Since joining the European Tour full time in 2009, he has had 19 top-10 finishes.
His first win as a professional came in August 2012 at the Thailand Open on the OneAsia tour.
He is currently No. 142 in the Official World Golf Rankings. This win should move him up into the Top-60 and he will become eligible for the lucrative WGC-Accenture and WGC-Cadillac events.
Chris Wood is only 25 years old and is yet another of the talented 20-somethings that seem to be dominating golf tournaments around the world.
Coetzee had shot 65 and Garcia has posted 66 to tie for the lead before Wood erased their chances of getting a win in Qatar.
Martin Kaymer, who was near the lead after 36 holes, shot 72-70 in the last two rounds and fell to T-9.
American Jason Dufner playing in his second consecutive European Tour event also finished in a tie for ninth place.
Michael Campbell posted three rounds of 68 before finishing with a two-over par 74 in the last round and fell to T-10. Campbell has eight European Tour wins and has struggled mightily with his golf game since winning the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst. It is a positive sign to see him regain some of his old form.
Some rust was evident for Ernie Els playing in his first event in 2013. He barely made the cut on Thursday and finished next to last in the field in Qatar with 74-76 in the final two rounds.