Stenson beats heat fatigue and nerves to defend Dubai title

By Matt Smith DUBAI (Reuters) - Henrik Stenson overcame sweltering desert heat, fatigue and an out-of-bounds shank to retain the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on Sunday, the first time the Swede has successfully defended a title. Stenson began the day as joint overnight leader along with Rafael Cabrera-Bello on 14-under, three strokes clear of their nearest challenger, but after a promising start the leading pair retreated to nervous, defensive golf as the chasing pack closed in. "Kind of middle of the round, a few things didn't go my way -- I was hanging in there fighting hard and I got my reward in the end," Stenson told reporters. "What goes on between the ears is a key factor in this game." Stenson and Cabrera-Bello failed to make a birdie from holes nine to 16. But while the disconsolate Spaniard -- 100 places below Stenson in the rankings -- suffered successive double bogeys at 16 and 17, the Swede picked up shots on the final two holes.That meant he won by two strokes to claim the $1.33 million first prize and a further $800,000 bonus for being runner-up on the European Tour money list. Stenson will also move to second in the world rankings and his cool Dubai finish was proof to some of his ‘Ice Man’ nickname, although the modest Swede played down such a description. "Of course I feel nervous. Everyone's nervous. Anyone that says they aren't nervous are lying," he said. The 38-year-old went 39 holes without dropping a shot, but a bogey at eight and a double-bogey on 11 after scuffing his ball out of bounds almost wrecked his title hopes. "I walked up to the ball with way too much club in my hand and instead of changing I tried to play a cut two‑iron against the wind and hit a push/slice/shank straight into the building," said Stenson. "By the end of the day, it didn't cost me the tournament. But at that point, it felt like it could do." Stenson had complained of fatigue after his second and third rounds, rating his performance those days as only six or seven out of 10 despite heading the leaderboard. "Not having played in heat like this for a couple of weeks certainly took its toll," added Stenson. "I was trying to drink and eat a lot, but I still felt like it was hitting me toward the last five, six holes pretty much every day." (Editing by Mark Meadows)