Gallacher and Stenson win Challenge Match

Stephen Gallacher could not have asked for a better start to the defence of his Omega Dubai Desert Classic crown after teaming up with Henrik Stenson to win the Challenge Match, held at Emirates Golf Club on Tuesday.

Playing two-man scramble over nine holes, the pair finished on eight under to match the score of the Rory McIlroy-Sergio Garcia team, but settled the issue in the ensuing play-off on the 18th hole.

The pairing of Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick finished third on six under par, two shots ahead of the team of Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell.

The Challenge Match has traditionally been a greensomes affair on the par three course at Emirates Golf Club, but after the success of the 2014 “Champions’ Challenge”, which saw every past champion compete for a share of the US$600,000 prize purse, the 2015 edition once again took place on the magnificent Majlis course.

Gallacher is hoping to extend his remarkable record in the emirate and become only the sixth man in European Tour history to win the same tournament on three successive occasions.