Dubai Desert Classic:Henrik Stenson scaled more heights than he bargained for on his way to a hard-fought but ultimately thrilling one-stroke victory in the wind and sand-lashed Dubai Desert Classic.

Not only did the Swede hold off the challenge of world number four Ernie Els on the back nine and a late charge by a misfiring Tiger Woods, he also had to climb on the shoulders of a burly marshall so he could identify his ball after it had finished 50 feet up, on the roof of a two-tiered hospitality pavilion overlooking the ninth green.

"I felt like I was in Cirque du Soleil," Stenson quipped after holing an eight-foot birdie putt at the last for a 68 and a one-stroke victory over Els.

"I got a bit upset because I had to go off and identify the ball on top of the roof because I thought we didn't have to do that."

Referee Tony Gray later explained he never told Stenson he had to identify his ball as there was reasonable evidence it had finished on the roof.

But he did suggest that identifying it would make it easier to decide which of the three drop zones to use.

A steaming Stenson eventually calmed himself in time to salvage a bogey on the hole to turn in level par before reeling off four back-nine birdies that proved too much for the chasing quintet of Els, Woods, Niclas Fasth and the unheralded Englishman Ross Fisher.

But his ninth-hole dramatics were not the only eyebrow- raising moments of an action- packed afternoon that saw Woods angrily slam his three-wood into the turf on the par-five 10th after he had hit it "about a foot fat" and then duff a chip and run into a bunker at the next to run up back-to-back bogeys.

The world number one, who went into the final round three strokes adrift of overnight leader Els on 14 under par, bounced back with a hat-trick of birdies from the 14th and another at the last to post a three-under-par 69.

But his 17-under-par total was only good enough for a share of third place alongside Fasth and he vowed to work on his putting as he headed for home on his jet, from where he planned to make several calls home to check on the progress of last night's Superbowl.

"Well, that's one of the worst putting weeks I have had in a long time," said Woods, who wore shades in an official event for the first time to protect his eyes from the sand storm that lashed the course all afternoon.

"Very frustrating. Just got a lot of work to do when I go home.

"I hit well enough to give myself a chance but I just did not putt at all well. I putted poorly all week and it is frustrating because normally, I don't really putt well on poor greens. I come over here to the best greens we have seen in a long time and I miss a bunch."

While he failed to win and at least had the satisfaction of winning his personal battle with Woods, runner-up Els had 32 putts and threw the title away on the front nine with three bogeys in the first six holes en route to a 71.

"I knew after the start I just wanted to give myself a chance coming down the stretch," said Els, who picked up four shots over the last 12 holes.

"I really got out of sorts on the greens and had a couple of bad swings.

"I just got a bit off the pace and I am still kind of experimental with my stroke. Some of the strokes I made out there were not quite me."

Dubai resident Stenson, in contrast, was relentless from start to finish on a day of 40 mph gusts. He picked up four shots over the last eight holes in conditions he described as the toughest he had experienced in the area.

"I felt like I was in Scotland. It was tough over the three-footers. But I just tried to wear everyone out, really, and I succeeded," Stenson said.

"I'm planning for the majors now, just need a well-deserved break and I will try and re-group before heading off to America to prepare for the Masters."

A victory in the US is next on the list for the 30-year-old Swede, who has now won five times on the European Tour.

"It is always nice to beat Tiger," he said.

"It is probably the first tournament I have won that he has been in. But to play four rounds with Ernie and beat him by a shot coming down the stretch is pretty much the same satisfaction."