Chris DiMarco ended a four-year drought without a win by holding off the concerted challenge of Henrik Stenson to win the inaugural Abu Dhabi Golf Championship by one shot.

The American, playing in his first European Tour event outside the majors and World Golf Championships, kept his nerve in a taut final round to card a five under 67 and 20 under for the tournament to pip the Swede, with Spain's Sergio Garcia (66) a shot further back on 18 under.

Colin Montgomerie's inconsistent round of 70 left him in joint-sixth place on 13 under with Indian Jyoti Randhawa, one behind Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez, who finished 15 under. Argentina's Ricardo Gonzalez (68) was fourth on 17 under.

Damien McGrane was only Irishmen around for the weekend and the Meath professional finished in a creditable tie for 17th after a closing 70 left him on eight under.

Beginning the day a shot behind Stenson, DiMarco had leapfrogged the Ryder Cup hopeful by the second hole, having birdied the first and then following it up with a brilliant 35-foot putt for eagle.

Stenson was unable to summon up the form he displayed yesterday, when his round began with five successive birdies and ended with a new course record. Playing in the last group with DiMarco, he manfully clung on and needed to find two shots at the turn, which became three after DiMarco birdied the 11th.

Stenson, though, sunk magnificently from the bunker to haul his rival back in, but after a series of pars for both men, DiMarco birdied the 16th to give him a two-shot cushion. The 37-year-old, who used his wife Amy as a stand-in caddie, held his nerve, parring the next two holes, and Stenson's birdie at the last merely trimmed the margin of victory.

Success in the United Arab Emirates capital earned DiMarco £188,000 and his first title since winning the 2002 Phoenix Open. The raft of low scores and birdie blitz carded on Saturday were not in danger of being repeated on a day more like the first two, with the wind once again a prominent factor.

World number two Vijay Singh was out of touch and the Fijian wound up at 11 under, tied with Charl Schwartzel, the South African who had led after round two.