Shaun Norris closed with a three-under-par 69 on Sunday as he pulled off a fine top-10 finish in the DP World Tour’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic to move to fourth early in the 2025 Race to Dubai rankings.
Norris, the emotional winner of the Alfred Dunhill Championship in December, had a solid week to finish in a share of sixth place in a stacked field in the first Rolex Series tournament of the new season. But for a shaky front nine in the third round when he made four bogeys, he could well have challenged for the title. He finished four off the lead.
Victory went to Tyrell Hatton, who put on a display of precision approach work as he won his fifth Rolex Series tournament at 15-under-par. Hatton was one stroke clear of New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier, with England’s Laurie Canter in third on 13-under-par. Rory McIlroy finished strongly for his share of fourth with his closing six-under-par 66 putting him on 12-under with Dane Niklas Norgaard.
Norris made two birdies on the front nine, but his progress was stymied with a bogey on the 12th. He rebounded well with consecutive birdies on the 13th and 14th, but he will look back with some regret at making just one birdie on the four par-fives in the final round.
Dylan Frittelli was two shots behind Norris on none-under in a share of 10th after he closed with a one-under-par 71. He started his final round with a bogey, but he had moved to 11-under for the tournament through 13 holes with four birdies before he made two bogeys in succession on the 14th and 15th as his chase for a possible challenge for victory stalled.
Jayden Schaper finished on five-under in a share of 21st after his closing level-par 72, and Jacques Kruyswijk signed off with a flourish with a five-under-par 67 to be one of those in a share of 21st with him.
Casey Jarvis closed with a two-over 74 to be in a share of 37th on two-under, and Robin Williams would have been pleased to have rebounded from a disastrous 80 in the third round with a closing two-under 70 to finish in a share of 45th on one-under.
