Life may well begin at 40 for Thomas Bjorn after his fairytale win at the Qatar Masters, says Ewen Murray.
'Old Dane' still knows how to close the deal, says Ewen
The much anticipated Gulf Swing has been doing exactly that, swinging!
In Abu Dhabi, Martin Kaymer won his personal battle with the course while Rory McIlroy won the 'other' event that week, the one that included every other entrant except the impressive German.
Having crossed the water to introduce Bahrain to the European Tour, the 41st country it has visited since its inception 40 years ago, Paul Casey and Sweden's Peter Hanson went head-to-head before the impressive Casey prevailed and Peter had to accept second place with his Ryder Cup team mate, the evergreen Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Fairytale
A 45-minute flight from the Kingdom and the 14th Qatar Masters produced the first fairytale story of the season.
Just ahead of his 40th birthday, Thomas Bjorn reminded us of his quality with a peerless display by the deserts of Doha to claim his 11th win in a tour career that has spanned 15 years.
Thomas has struggled over the last two or three seasons and despite a fine win in Portugal last year, there have been too many poor performances since. But great players have a knack of doing the right things when the chance of a win presents itself.
I have known Thomas since he won the Challenge Tour in 1995 when he enjoyed four victories and banked a then record £52,000.
We have spent a lot of time together both on the course and off it and during that time have talked of many things including his career. I have always thought he gets in his own way at times. His highs are high but then it's the same with the lows. Too often he is too technical, a fault that many fall into and that gets in the way of a man who is very good at playing golf. By that I mean, when he gets an opportunity to win, he is very aware of what is required to close the deal.
Strengths
Last Sunday in Qatar was a perfect example of his strengths. Having taken a one-shot lead into a final round that was played in blustery conditions, Bjorn knew exactly how to tackle a course where 70 would be a really good score. Because of that attitude, there was an aura of calmness from the first tee.
In effect, he took all of the pressure off himself knowing a two-under-par 70 would be too good for his challengers to match. His experience also told him this was a day where greens would be missed and the art was to get up and down and minimize the damage.
It was not a day to fire at pins and chase birdies as missing on the wrong side would only result in bogeys, or worse. For the record, Bjorn dropped one shot in his last three rounds. In the early part of his final round, his neatness around the greens held his score together and as his challengers faltered in the tough conditions and he extended his lead, his shot-making was nothing short of excellent.
His second to 15 was a gem, taking a driver to get past all the trouble at 16 was superb course management and his final day 69 will be one of the rounds of the year.
Re-emergence
In the past 12 months, the Bjorn's have relocated from West London to Sweden and all of you who have experienced the upheaval of moving house no doubt know that it takes time to settle down again. His young family-of-three are happy there, as is Thomas and his wife Pernilla. This win has come at the right time and could well signal the re-emergence of Denmark's most successful golfer. A win is always special but then so is the manner in which it happens. No one lost in Qatar, Bjorn won it very impressively.
He has a good team behind him in coaches Peter Cowan and Mike Walker. They know what works for him and concentrate on the simple things Thomas does so well. Even Thomas would admit he sometimes get too deeply into the theories of the swing when quite simply there is no need to.
His caddie, Dominic Bott is more than that. He is a friend who cares about his boss and Dom celebrated his fourth win on tour having won with Paul Eales, Kenneth Ferrie and of course with Bjorn last year. His victory took him back into the top 60 in the world and the Accenture match play, the Bridgestone and the HSBC Champions in Shanghai will be added to this years schedule.
Formerly known affectionately as the Great Dane, he is now the Old Dane, but his win in Doha has opened up a new beginning and life for Thomas may well begin at forty.
Biggest
The final quarter of the Gulf Swing is the Dubai Desert Classic at the instantly recognizable Emirates course by Sheik Zayeed Road, the one that connects Abu Dhabi with Dubai and what a way to finish a hugely successful month.
For the first time on the European Tour, the world's top three players will play together in the opening two rounds. Westwood, Kaymer and Tiger Woods will take around with them the biggest gallery this part of the world has seen and as you can imagine, it is the talk of the town here.
Having watched Woods today, I feel he is still in transition and coming to terms with the different technique he and his coach Sean Folley have been working on. Why he changed his swing of the year 2000 remains a mystery to me.
Lee has had an indifferent start to this year finishing 63rd in Abu Dhabi and missing the cut last week, while Kaymer is on a high having soared to second in the world rankings. With six hours of coverage on the opening two days, Sky Sports will chart their progress to the halfway stage extensively and no doubt it will provide fascinating viewing.
The course is in superb condition and one or two new tees have been added since Jimenez defeated Westwood in a play-off last year. The rough is thick and only the fairways will do off the tee.
Finally, I have made a New Year resolution and that is to stay out of bunkers this season. Much as I love the charm of this part of the globe and the friendliness of its people, I've seen enough sand to last me a while!
Look forward to your company as always for round one.
