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Second Place Up For Grabs In 2014 Race To Dubai Finale’

By Les Bailey

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Sep 27, 2014; Perthshire, Perthshire, SCT; Team Europe golfers Ian Poulter,right and Rory McIlroy approach the 16th green of their morning match on day two of the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles Resort – PGA Centenary Course. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Rory McIlroy has rightly so, wrapped  up the 2014 Race To Dubai Championship after Brooks Koepka won the Turkish Airlines Open last week, and now the only thing left to decide at the DP World Tour Championship, is who will be number two.

By virtue of a third place finish in Turkey last week, the 2013 Race To Dubai Champ, and last year’s winner of this event, Henrik Stenson holds the number two spot, and Ian Poulter wants it.

Poulter has played well during the playoff series with a sixth-place finish in Shanghai at the WGC-HSBC Champions two weeks ago, and had a runner-up finish to Koepka last week in Turkey.

The Ryder Cup star had a six-shot lead on Saturday morning at the Montgomerie Maxx golf course, but fell apart before making a big comeback on Sunday to wrap-up his second-place finish.

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It was Ian Poulters job last year, to prevent the 38 year-old Swede from wining at Jumeriah Estates,and capturing the Race To Dubai Championship. Now it 2014, with Rory already clinching the top spot, his job is to keep his buddy, Henrik Stenson from taking home second place.

"“Number One is gone, but there’s still a big bonus for number two and that would upset number two right now,” said Poulter.“I’m still chasing Mr. Stenson down like I was chasing him last year.“Second’s on, bring it on. Chase the Stenson down again. It’s nice to come into this stretch and feel like you can salvage something of 2014. To go sixth, second, and it would be nice to win this week and move nicely up that board – that’s the goal for this week.”"

Henrik Stenson has admitted that he has been exhausted since his sweep of the FedEx Cup, and Race To Dubai last year, and has not had a stellar 2014 season.

"“I’m pretty pleased with the overall performance this year. It was always going to be a tough one and, especially early in the season, it was tough. I was battling a bit of fatigue and when you’re tired you don’t have the energy to practice and get going with the game and then it just becomes a bit of a bad cycle.“From late spring onwards it’s been quite all right and I contended in a few events and had a couple of strong results. Overall it’s not a bad season by any means. I think I got close to 200 world ranking points on the board, which is always a good indicator for a strong season. It’s a win that’s missing and hopefully I can take the opportunity here.”"

Ian Poulter may well be the self-appointed destructor who wants to keep Henrik Stenson out of the winners circle on Sunday afternoon, but there are some very good golfers in this tournament who may have something to say about who gets that second-place check.

Jamie Donaldson, Marcel Siem, and newby, Brooks Koepka are all playing well now, and let’s face it, closer to the number two spot than Mr. Poulter.

Oh, Then there’s Rory!

Rory McIlroy plays well at the Greg Norman designed Jumeriah Estates golf course, and has to be a strong favorite to win on Sunday afternoon, but he can’t win The Race To Dubai Championship, and second place as well.

Can he?

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