Graeme McDowell will have to finish in the top three of the Dubai World Championship this week just to have a chance of denying Ryder Cup team-mate Martin Kaymer the European Tour number one spot.
There is a difference of almost €291,000 between the two major winners with one event to go following McDowell’s fifth-place finish behind Ian Poulter at the Hong Kong Open today.
Fourth place next Sunday is worth €274,000 and would not therefore be enough for McDowell even if Kaymer finishes last.
If the Ulsterman does come third (worth €356,000) Kaymer would have to be only 20th to stay top, but if he is second (€609,000) the German would need to be third and if McDowell takes the €914,000 first prize the money list title will be his as well.
There is a massive bonus of €1,096,500 for finishing number one, so the US Open and US PGA champions could earn more than €2 million next weekend.
It is down to the two of them. Lee Westwood, last year’s winner of both the event and the Race to Dubai, is over €921,800 adrift of Kaymer in third place.
Poulter moved up to fifth on the list and is just shy of €2 million in earnings on the European Tour this year. His sights, though, are set on climbing further up the world rankings.
The 34-year-old Englishman shot a three-under-par 67 in the final round to finish one stroke ahead of compatriot Simon Dyson and Italian teenager Matteo Manassero.
Despite enjoying one of his best seasons to date in which he won the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and played a pivotal role in Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph at Celtic Manor last month, Poulter dropped down the rankings and by the time he arrived in Hong Kong he was 14th in the world.
However, he was in red-hot form throughout the week at Fanling with a fine 10-under 60 in the second round the highlight and thoroughly deserved a victory that moves him back inside the world top 10.
Poulter is confident he can now climb even higher, but after causing a stir among his fellow pros two years ago by insisting he was the only serious challenger to then number one Tiger Woods when at his best, he was this time keeping his cards very close to his chest.
“I’ll try and win next week first (at the Dubai World Championship),” he said. “I’m not playing the game saying, ‘I’m going to get to number one’. I tried that once before and it didn’t work.
“I think I’ll just try winning next week and see how high I can go. Tiger has dropped a lot of points and (Lee) Westwood is world number one but if I keep playing well, then who knows? I could get up there.”
Victory never really looked in doubt for Poulter and expected challenges from the likes of McDowell and Rory McIlroy failed to materialise.
“To be honest, I felt comfortable all day,” he added. “I felt very calm and very relaxed. The way I was hitting it, I was hitting it inside 12 feet pretty much nearly every hole out there. I knew if I kept doing that, I’d be very tough to beat.”
Dyson had been Poulter’s only real challenger after reeling off an eagle three on the par-five third before adding three birdies over his next four holes to put himself within touching distance. But he failed to build on that as he bogeyed the eighth and added just one more birdie coming home to finish with a five-under 65.
McDowell had started the day two strokes behind Poulter but his challenge for the title never really materialised as he finished with a two-under 68 to take fifth place.
“No disappointments in general this week,” he said. “I am very happy with my form and very happy with the energy levels going into Dubai next week.”
Compatriot McIlroy had narrowly missed out on victory at the Hong Kong Golf Club in the last two years but was never really in the hunt as the final round progressed, finishing in sixth following a 67.
“I’ll go to Dubai a little bit disappointed but I know my game is in good shape,” said the 21-year-old. There were some good highlights this week but not enough. If I can take the good things to Dubai I think I’ll have a good week.”
What both of them would have done to finish like fellow Ulsterman Gareth Maybin, who carded nine birdies and an eagle in a 61 that left him in a tie for seventh spot on 17 under.
Damien McGrane also went low, his round of 63 including an eagle two at the par-four 10th hole as he closed the week on 15 under.
Darren Clarke signed for a 68 that left him on 12 under, while Michael Hoey was back on nine under after a 69.
Peter Lawrie closed on five under after a 67, with fellow Dubliner Paul McGinley finishing off a disappointing weekend with a second straight 73 to finish tied last on three over.
RACE TO DUBAI STANDINGS
1 Martin Kaymer (Ger) €3,283,930, 2 Graeme McDowell (N Ire) €2,993,019, 3 Lee Westwood (Eng) €2,362,143, 4 Francesco Molinari (Ita) €2,249,324, 5 Ian Poulter (Eng) €1,983,144, 6 Ernie Els (Rsa) €1,911,760, 7 Miguel Angel Jimenez (Esp) €1,907,952, 8 Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) €1,873,139, 9 Edoardo Molinari (Ita) €1,785,937, 10 Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) €1,767,617.11 Paul Casey (Eng) €1,543,311, 12 Rory McIlroy €1,438,704, 13 Luke Donald (Eng) €1,410,430, 14 Ross Fisher (Eng) €1,309,024, 15 Alvaro Quiros (Esp) €1,285,977, 16 Peter Hanson (Swe) €1,237,728, 17 Rhys Davies (Wal) €1,201,976, 18 Padraig Harrington (Ire) €1,108,967, 19 Richard Green (Aus) €1,102,793 20 Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) €1,082,669.
The top 15 in the Race to Dubai standings after the Dubai World Championships will share a bonus pool of just under €5.5 million.