Dubai, United Arab Emirates (SportsNetwork.com) - Henrik Stenson birdied his final hole on Saturday to close out a 5-under 67 and maintain the lead of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
Stenson, who leads the Race to Dubai standings, finished 54 holes on Jumeirah Golf Estates' Earth Course at 17-under-par 199. He is trying to become the first player to win the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai in the same year.
Victor Dubuisson, last week's Turkish Airlines Open winner, fired the low round of the day with an 8-under 64 to claim second place at 16-under 200.
Ian Poulter (66) and Alejandro Canizares (70) shared third at 13-under, while Miguel Angel Jimenez (66) sat alone in fifth at minus-12.
Justin Rose (68) and Lee Westwood (65) are tied for sixth at 11-under 205.
The top nine players in the Race to Dubai standings all have a chance to win the title, but only Stenson, Rose and Graeme McDowell control their own fate. If Stenson, Rose or McDowell win this tournament, they will win the Race to Dubai, regardless of where anyone else finishes.
Poulter can win the title with a victory and Stenson finishes no higher than third.
"I'm pushing really hard on this course and it's easy to make mistakes when you are doing that. I made two bogeys on par-3s which is frustrating, but I am right in there and I can't ask any more than that," said Poulter. "Being European Number One would be a huge highlight in my career."
Stenson entered the final round with a 1-stroke lead over Canizares, but the Spaniard quickly met Stenson atop the leaderboard with a birdie at the second.
After the duo parred the next two holes, Stenson took advantage of a 2-stroke swing at the fifth to again claim the outright lead as Stenson poured in a 3-foot birdie to move to 13-under while Canizares 3-putted for bogey to drop into a tie for second with Dubuisson at minus-11.
Dubuisson had followed an opening bogey with four straight birdies to earn his share of second place, and then remained hot with consecutive gains at the seventh and eighth to join Stenson in first at 13-under.
Stenson, however, birdied the seventh from about five feet to again claim the outright lead.
Dubuisson then tripped to a double-bogey 6 at the 10th to fall to 11-under and hand Stenson a 2-stroke advantage after the Swede bogeyed the 10th, but Dubuisson caught fire from there, reeling off four birdies over his next five holes to claim the outright lead at 15-under.
Stenson later capped a run of three straight birdies from the 14th with a 10- foot putt to reclaim the lead at 16-under before Dubuisson closed his round with a birdie at the last to meet him there.
Stenson, however, chipped his third shot at the par-5 18th to about two feet and kicked in his short birdie effort to head into the final round alone atop the leaderboard.
"I know I can win The Race to Dubai even if I don't win here, but why not try my hardest to win this tournament? If I do I know that both trophies are coming home with me," Stenson said. "The guys are going to try their best to attack, but if anything it makes me try even harder."
NOTES: Dubuisson's 11 birdies was one short of the European Tour record ... Dubuisson won for the first time on the European Tour last week at the Turkish Airlines Open ... Stenson leads Rose by 213,468 points in the Race to Dubai. McDowell trails Stenson by 321,800 points. Poulter, Jamie Donaldson, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Thongchai Jaidee, Richard Sterne and Dubuisson stand Nos. 4 - 9 in the Race to Dubai.
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