Jyoti Randhawa carded a flawless five-under 67 and finished tied 11th, which is his second-best ever performance in the Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club even as Ernie Els claimed his third title at the course.
Randhawa's final day card saw him aggregate 10-under 278. After starting the day at five-under 211, he had two birdies on the front nine and another three on the back journey for a superb 67 on a day, when the slight breeze made the weather bearable, but it also meant the golfers had to be more careful about the gentle drift.
"It could have been another couple of shots better, but I missed one birdie inside five feet and two others around 10-12 feet," said Randhawa. "Still it feels good to come back from 30s on the leaderboard down to almost inside top-10."
On his game on the whole, Randhawa said, "I think I am improving in all aspects and especially in the mental aspect. I am stronger and more relaxed and I know I can win. It is the last two days that I am really focused on. It (a win) will come soon."
Meanwhile, there was a Battle Royale for the title.
It came to a fitting climax, as Els sank a brilliant eagle from a little over 15 feet on the 18th and that left Miguel Angel Jimenez staring at a tense eight-footer to tie for the first place.
He succumbed to the pressure and managed only a par, which gave the top draw of tournament, Els, his third title in Dubai. Els' previous victories came in 1994 and 2002. Els totaled 19-under 269 while Jimenez and Stephen Dodd tied at 18-under 270.
More from rediff