NBA | Page 6 FOOTBALL | Page 9 Love drops in Suarez hits To Advertise here Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 29 as Cavaliers winner as cruise past the Barca sink Pistons 9-man Atletico Sunday, January 31, 2016 TENNIS Rabia II 21, 1437 AH Kerber stuns GULF TIMES Serena Williams to win Australian Open SPORT Page 4 GoodGood Grace!Grace! South African makes history by becoming first golfer to win back-to-back Commercial Bank Qatar Masters titles By Satya Rath rounds under 70, while South my guns and tried to give myself things going on that week. And A brilliant approach shot on the Doha African Grace, almost two dec- some opportunities, I could do there’s no better place to do it tenth moved him two shots clear ades younger to Lawrie, managed it,” an ecstatic Grace said. than Qatar. and though there was a late surge LEADING FINAL SCORES to hold off a chasing pack with a The South African, who start- “It was really one of my biggest from the chasing pack, Grace oming into the 2016 69 for a 14-under total and win ed and ended with birdies during wins to date last year, and I think stayed uncatchable, signing off 274: Branden Grace (RSA) 71-68-71-71, Grégory Bourdy Commercial Bank Qatar his seventh European Tour title his round of 69, never dropped a this is just going to push it up with a birdie on his fi nal hole to 70-67-68-69 (FRA) 67-68-72-74, Paul Masters, Branden Grace by two shots from Rafa Cabrera- shot on the homeward nine this even higher. It’s all a big learning seal victory. 276: Thorbjorn Olesen Lawrie (SCO) 67-66-70-78 had won six European Bello of Spain and Denmark’s week, and it was the same tale in curve as your career goes on. I’ve Olesen too held a share of the (DEN) 67-69-69-71, Rafael 282: Robert Rock (ENG) 68- TourC titles, but never before had Thorbjørn Olesen. the fi nal round too. Barring a sore learned a lot this week for myself, lead after Grace and Lawrie both Cabrera (ESP) 67-68-71-70 70-71-73, Thongchai Jaidee he managed to defend one. Nor The Spaniard closed with three bogey on the par-4 fi fth, he man- learned patience, and I’ve learned dropped shots on the fi fth but had anyone done it in the $2.5 birdies as he fi nished in the top aged two birdies each on the front what it takes now to defend a title. a bogey on the eighth and a run 277: Lee Slattery (ENG) 69- (THA) 68-72-71-71, Benjamin million European Tour event’s three for the third time in six and back, and that had a big say It happened last year, but it feels of nine straight pars ended his 69-69-70, Andrew Johnston Hébert (FRA) 71-70-71-70, 18-year history. years here, while a lengthy putt in the end. long gone. So it’s great to be in the chances. (ENG) 66-69-72-70, Bradley Jorge Campillo (ESP) 69-68- Yesterday, on an unusually cold on the last moved Olesen into a “The key on this course is pa- winner’s circle again,” a clearly Cabrera-Bello, meanwhile, Dredge (WAL) 71-67-70-69 73-72, Soren Kjeldsen (DEN) and windy day at the Doha Golf share of second place. tience. There were times when overwhelmed Grace said. had been one over-par for the day 280: Richard Bland (ENG) 70-69-75-68, Pelle Edberg Club, in the event’s 19th edition, They were followed by Wales I seemed to lose it a few times, It was a tale of contrasting as he stood on the 16th tee after a the long wait ended when Grace pro Bradley Dredge, who fi nished but Zack, my caddie, has been fortunes for the two history- double-bogey on the eighth but 72-69-67-72, Tommy Fleet- (SWE) 70-66-71-75, Kristoff er mastered the elements and his with a four-birdie fl ourish to tremendous. He kept me calm at seekers, as like Grace, overnight a triple birdie fi nish helped him wood (ENG) 67-69-70-74, Broberg (SWE) 67-70-74-71 nerves to become the fi rst to land vault himself to 11-under along- all times. I did some work on the leader Lawrie too birdied the fi rst end a creditable second, along Sergio García (ESP) 70-66-74- 283: Alejandro Cañizares back-to-back Qatar Masters titles. side English duo Andrew John- driving range before my tee-off , hole but then went on to drop with Olesen. 70, George Coetzee (RSA) 67- (ESP) 73-67-73-70, Nicolas The South African came into ston and Lee Slattery. and that helped too,” the 27-year- four shots including a double Dredge too was one over for the 70-73-70, Louis Oosthuizen Colsaerts (BEL) 66-68-77-72 the fi nal round two shots behind “It feels like a dream… I am old world No. 11 added. bogey on the par-5 ninth to turn day before four gains on the trot two-time champion Paul Lawrie, still pretty much at a loss for Grace had spoken ahead of this in at 39. Two more drops and got him a tied fourth spot along- (RSA) 65-73-71-71, Ricardo 284: Grégory Havret (FRA) who too was chasing another words. To win is tough, to defend tournament of his desire to break another double bogey ended his side Johnston and Slattery, who Gouveia (POR) 67-71-70-72 71-67-70-76, Roope Kakko piece of history in his bid to be- even tougher. into the top 10 in the world, and campaign. He did manage a bird- both signed for 70s with four 281: Joost Luiten (NED) (FIN) 69-71-72-72, Ernie Els come the event’s fi rst three-time “This is a tournament that yesterday’s win should help him ie on his penultimate hole, but it birdies and two bogeys each. 70-67-74-70, Johan Carlsson (RSA) 68-70-72-74, Marcel champion. kicked my season off last year and reach that goal, as he now has top was too little too late as he ended Richard Bland, George Co- (SWE) 69-67-72-73, Pablo Siem (GER) 69-71-75-69, But the 47-year-old Scot, af- hopefully it can take me to even 10 fi nishes in each of his fi rst fi ve with a forgettable six-over for the etzee, Tommy Fleetwood, Ser- ter three days of consistent golf, better things this time round. events of the season. day to fi nish tied-13th. gio Garcia, Ricardo Gouveia and Larrazábal (ESP) 65-72-72-72, Renato Paratore (ITA) 75- suddenly saw his steady game “The key was my grinding and “It’s a big thing to come to a On the other hand, Grace re- Louis Oosthuzen ended eight Bernd Wiesberger (AUT) 68- 66-71-72, Ben Evans (ENG) desert him as he slipped to a 78 on staying patient. It was tough out week defending. You’ve got a covered from a bogey on the fi fth under, one ahead of Lawrie who 70-70-73, Mikko Ilonen (FIN) 69-71-74-70 a day when there were just four there, but fair. I knew if I stuck to lot more pressure and a lot more with a further gain on the sixth. came home in 39. Gulf Times 2 Sunday, January 31, 2016 GOLF ROUND-UP Brit teen Hull moves joint top Spluttering Spieth at Ocean Club three off the pace World No. 1 struggles again with his putting to sign for a six-under-total that leaves him tied fifth, three shots behind overnight leader Song Young-han of South Korea AFP stroke in front of fellow Americans Scott Singapore Brown (71) and Billy Horschel (70), and Scotland’s Martin Laird (68). Veteran Choi, an eight-time winner on orld number one Jordan Spi- the PGA Tour who has not triumphed on eth stayed in hunt for the the circuit since the 2011 Players Champi- SMBC Singapore Open title onship, birdied three of his last fi ve holes on yesterday after narrowing the the easier North Course to move joint top. Wgap to leader Song Young-Han of South “My putting hasn’t been too good inside Korea before fading light halted play. 15-20 feet, but today I made fi ve or six out- The American had two more holes to side 15 feet,” Choi, 45, told Golf Channel. complete and trailed Song by three strokes “I heard the weekend will be very windy at the Sentosa Golf Club when the horn and rainy, so I’m hoping my imagination, sounded for the remaining fl ights to return my driving and putting will be stable.” to the clubhouse. Three other players are Power hitter Woodlands, winless on also hot on the heels of the South Korean the PGA Tour since the 2013 Reno-Tahoe Reuters bad shots and it’s going to in the $1.0 million tournament. Open, piled up fi ve birdies on his front Paradise Island, Bahamas drift off in the wind. China’s Liang Wen-Chong trails by a nine to reach the turn in a fl awless fi ve- “I feel like my short game stroke, and Japan’s Shintaro Kobayashi under 31.