Lee Westwood chipped in for a birdie at the final hole to complete a comprehensive eight-shot victory at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa to hold on to his spot at the top of the world rankings.
The Englishman was never troubled during his closing round at Sun City, a four-under-par 68 matching the best of the day as he finished on 17 under, with playing partner Tim Clark carding a 71 to finish second on nine under.
Westwood picked up a cheque for €935,000 for his efforts and knows that Tiger Woods can not regain his number one spot even if he holds on to win the Chevron World Challenge in California tonight.
“I think that’s the first time I chipped in all year,” Westwood joked afterwards. “That’s what you call a grandstand finish. It was a good time to do it.”
It capped a fine 2010 season for Westwood, who took over as the world number one golfer from Woods at the end of October, despite the win being his first of the year.
He continued: “I’ve been coming here for several years and it’s a title I’ve always wanted to win. I’ve come close a few times, lost in the play-offs, but it’s always very special.”
Despite carrying a five-shot lead over Clark and countryman Ross Fisher heading into the last day, Westwood conceded that victory at the start was by no means a foregone conclusion.
He added: “It’s never over. It’s sometimes even more pressure having a big lead because it’s yours to blow. But I got off to a fast start and I got a few in front, so I felt pretty comfortable especially when I birdied nine and 10.
“It was a nice back nine, still tricky with the strong wind and the way it was swirling around. The finish was tough, so I was just pleased to get it done at the end.”
Retief Goosen matched Westwood’s 68 to finish on eight under for the tournament and share third spot alongside Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Pádraig Harrington finished the tournament on a low note after he could only manage a three-over 75 to finish on three under and a tie for seventh place with defending Robert Allenby in the 12-man event.
271Lee Westwood (Eng) 68 64 71 68
279Tim Clark 73 67 68 71
280Retief Goosen 72 70 70 68, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 69 69 71 71
283Ross Fisher (Eng) 67 68 73 75, Ernie Els 71 68 71 73
285Robert Allenby (Aus) 70 70 73 72,
Padraig Harrington(Irl) 66 72 72 75
286Anders Hansen (Den) 72 70 68 76, Justin Rose (Eng) 70 72 72 72
287Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 71 67 73 76
290Louis Oosthuizen 71 73 72 74
Final scoreboard
(Rsa unless stated, par 72):