Dubai Desert Classic 2012: Rafael Cabrera-Bello Wins, McIlroy Finishes Fifth

Despite having the No. 3 player in the world, Lee Westwood, hot on his trail, Rafael Cabrera-Bello held on with a score of -18 to win the 2012 Dubai Desert Classic. Westwood had a birdie putt on the 18th hole to try to send the tournament to a playoff, as did Scot Stephen Gallacher, but they couldn't sink it, and Cabrera-Bello went home with the trophy and a hilarious picture with the trophy presenters:

via dubaidesertclassic.com

Here's the paragraph explaining that gem, from the tournament's website:

Shaikh Mansour bin Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum presented the winner's trophy to Cabrera-Bello in the presence Mohamed Juma Buamaim, vice chairman and CEO of golf in DUBAi, the promoters and organizers of the $2.5 million European Tour event.

What else do you need to know? Oh, well, other things you may want to know about the tournament: Rory McIlroy finished four shots off the lead (-14), tied for fifth place. Westwood's finish allowed him to pass McIlroy in the world rankings, making Westwood No. 2 and McIlory No. 3. Luke Donald remains the top player in the world.

This was Cabrera-Bello's second European Tour victory and his first since taking the Austrian Open in 2009.

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After three rounds of play in the 2012 Dubai Desert Classic, the competition is fierce with 15 players within five shots of the lead. Rory McIlroy and Thomas Bjorn were both tied for the lead at 13-under after the first two rounds, but there is a new leader in the clubhouse in Lee Westwood at 15-under after shooting a 67 in the third round of play. McIlroy found himself two shots behind the lead at 13-under after the third round. Bjorn found himself right behind McIlroy at 12-under after shooting a 73 in the third round of play.

Stephan Gallacher found himself in second play, just one shot behind the leader after shooting a 68 in round 3 at 14-under. Marcel Siem and Rafael Cabrera-Bello are tied with Gallacher at 14-under, followed by Joel Sjoholm, Scott Jamison, and Martin Kaymer all tied with Rory McIlroy at 13-under after three rounds.

For updates on the Dubai Desert Classic, stay tuned to this StoryStream. For complete coverage of the world of golf, please visit Waggle Room.

While the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is taking place on the Central Coast of California, the 2012 Dubai Desert Classic is already underway. The tournament features three of the current Top Five-ranked golfers in the world and is not to be overlooked.

After the first two days of play are in the books, the competition is extremely tight. The top nine names on the leaderboard are all within three strokes of one another.

After finishing their second rounds with scores of 65 and both coming in at 7-under for the day, Rory McIlroy and Bjorn Thomas are both tied for the lead, at 13-under. Alone in third place at 12-under is Rafael Cabrera-Bello, who was the early leader following round one, but saw his three-stroke lead turn into a one-stroke deficit on day two after finished 3-under with a score of 69.

Close behind Cabrera-Bello are Martin Kaymer, Gregory Bourdy and Scott Jamieson, all at 11-under, followed by Stephen Gallacher, Marcel Siem and Lee Westwood at 10-under. It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out over the next two days.

For updates on the Dubai Desert Classic, stay tuned to this StoryStream. For complete coverage of the world of golf, please visit Waggle Room.