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Min Woo Lee falls short in Dubai quest

3 minute read

Min Woo Lee has finished joint-fourth in the Dubai Championship, three shots behind Danish winner Joachim B. Hansen.

MIN WOO LEE
MIN WOO LEE Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Min Woo Lee's hopes of lifting a third European Tour title have fallen short as the rising Australian star's bid to lift the Dubai Championship crumbled at two successive holes when he was right in the thick of the battle.

Lee, who'd been just a couple of shots off the lead in an exciting denouement on the Fire Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates on Sunday, saw his bid derailed with bogeys at the 14th and 15th holes.

The 23-year-old, who won the Scottish Open earlier in the year, recovered well to birdie the 16th and 18th but had to settle for joint-fourth place, three shots behind the Danish winner Joachim B. Hansen.

Four excellent rounds of 67, 67, 66 and 68 saw Lee finish on a 20-under-par total but Hansen's final round 68 was enough for him to pip Francesco Laporta and a charging Bernd Wiesberger, who recorded a seven-under 65, by one stroke.

The foundations of Hansen's victory were laid with his opening round 63 and he made 24 birdies and just one bogey over the entire week as he celebrated his second European Tour win following his Joburg Open victory in 2020.

"It means a lot, especially with family and friends here. There was nothing in Joburg," Hansen told Sky Sports.

"When I saw Jeff (Winther) win in Mallorca I was very jealous just because he had family and friends all there to celebrate with him and I really wanted that so I'm really glad I get to experience that."

But it was a nervy finish for Hansen. On the final hole, Laporta narrowly missed a long birdie putt which would have seen him earn a playoff and Hansen had to chip on and two-putt for the win.

France's reigning champion Antoine Rozner, one shot off the lead overnight, finished in a four-way tie for fourth with Lee, Thailand's Jazz Janewattananond and England's Andy Sullivan, who shot a 65.

Lee's third successive top-10 finish sees him lie fifth in the race to Dubai, the Tour's order of merit, and comes near the end of a season in which he earned his biggest victory, the Scottish Open, while his elder sister Minjee Lee lifted her first major title at the Evian Championship.

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