Grace wins in Qatar as Lawrie crumbles

Branden Grace shot a closing 69 to claim the Qatar Masters by two shots as Paul Lawrie’s challenge faded dramatically on the final day.

Lawrie, who held a two-stroke advantage heading into Saturday’s final round, was unable to keep up his form and slipped to a six-over-par 78 to end up in a share of 13th on -7.

It was therefore left to Grace to successfully defend his title, as the South African held his nerve in tough conditions to card four birdies and just one bogey to finish on 14-under in the UAE.

The 27-year-old secured his seventh European Tour title while Spaniard Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark shared second place at Doha Golf Club.

A couple of Englishman – Andrew Johnston and Lee Slattery – finished on -11 alongside Bradley Dredge of Wales, who ended with four birdies to boost his pay day.

Sergio Garcia and Louis Oosthuizen were in a group of six players tied for seventh on -8 after 72 holes while Joost Luiten and Bernd Wiesberger joined Lawrie on -7.