The oddsmakers liked Olesen’s chances entering the event, listing him among the favorites at 33/1. Wood, meanwhile, was a 50/1 choice, with Italy’s Matteo Manassero on top at 13/2.

Olesen’s third-round 67 bumped him two clear of the field – and six ahead of Wood – entering Sunday’s finale. While his nearest competitors failed to mount a challenge to the steady Olesen, Wood bolted out of the gate with four birdies and an eagle in a front nine of 30. He would catch Olesen on the lead four separate times throughout the day before finally faltering with a bogey on 17.

Olesen hung tough by parring the final two holes, among the most difficult on the Verdura Golf and Spa Resort course. “It feels amazing,” he said afterward. “I had three seconds last year, so to finally get my first win is great.”

Nicolas Colsaerts and Soren Kjeldsen tied third on -13, with Jose Manuel Lara alone in fifth.

The U.S. Masters serves as this week’s official European Tour event. European stalwarts Rory McIlroy (6/1), Luke Donald (16/1) and Lee Westwood (20/1) rank alongside Americans Tiger Woods (9/2) and Phil Mickelson (12/1) as the betting favorites, according to Ladbrokes.

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The finish represented quite a turnaround for Hoey, who started the event with a 2-over 74 and trailed McGrane by nine shots. After a steadying 67 in round two, Hoey vaulted into contention when a Saturday 65 left the Northern Irishman two behind McGrane and Matteo Manassero.

Ireland’s McGrane jumped out with birdies on the first two holes, but could not keep up the pace. He matched three birdies with three bogeys coming in, opening the door for Hoey. The 2011 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship winner came through with a front-nine 31, stumbled briefly with a bogey on 10, then closed with three birdies on his final five holes to win going away.

“I actually hit all the right shots at the right times over the closing holes, which is really satisfying,” Hoey said.

The European Tour visits Italy for this week’s Sicilian Open. Manassero figures to rank among the contenders, with most of the tour’s best preparing for the Masters.

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Quesne, from France, matched the course record at Aloha GC with a closing 64 for a -17 total. Italy’s Matteo Manassero, who set the mark in round one, finished second on -15. In fact, Manassero began the week as the betting favorite on 22/1, same as Robert Rock. Quesne, a relative unknown at age 31, was well down the list at 150/1.

In the celebratory aftermath, Quesne called his approach to 18 “the best shot I’ve ever hit.” No doubt he was right. The green is narrow and flanked by bunkers, demanding a precise shot from long distance. Quesne delivered, then capped his triumph by sinking the putt for his eighth birdie of the day and fourth in his last five holes.

Tour stalwart Miguel Angel Jimenez, the event’s organizer, tied seventh, but didn’t come away empty-handed. Quesne, who called the Spaniard his favorite player, vowed to send Jimenez a case of wine from his home region of Bordeaux.

The European Tour crosses the Mediterranean for this week’s Trophee Hassan II in Morocco, where Manassero, Rock and Francesco Molinari headline the field.

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McIlroy won the Honda Classic at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, with a 12-under-par total, two shots better than Tiger Woods – whose Sunday 62 marked a career-best final round – and journeyman Tom Gillis. The 22-year-old from Northern Ireland now stands alone atop the rankings, supplanting England’s Luke Donald.

The victory certainly came as no surprise. McIlroy was listed as an 8/1 choice entering the Honda, having won three times worldwide in the past nine months and finishing among the top 5 in 10 of his last 11 starts. Lee Westwood went off at 10/1, with Woods – playing this event for the first time as a professional — at 11/1.

McIlroy led by two over Gillis entering the final round at the Champions Course, best known for a brutal three-hole stretch called the “Bear Trap.” Under windy conditions, McIlroy was unable to separate himself from the pack; he missed seven greens on the day and made just two birdies. However, McIlroy’s short game proved up to the task, as he suffered just one bogey and made a pair of sensational sand saves on the back nine for a 1-under 69.

For the week, McIlroy got up-and-down for par on 21 of 25 attempts.

Woods, meanwhile, languished nine shots behind to begin the fourth round. He turned on the jets beginning with an eagle on the par-5 third hole, adding birdies on 5, 7, 11 and 17. On 18, Woods stuck a 5-iron within 8 feet of the hole and drilled the eagle putt, finishing off an 8-under 62 to reach -10 for the week.

McIlroy, playing five holes behind Woods, heard the ensuing roar and interpreted it correctly as a Woods eagle. He then knocked in a birdie putt of his own for a two-shot cushion, then gutted out five pars for the win.

While low scores were tough to come by, Westwood nearly matched Woods with a 7-under-par 63 to finish fourth on -8. Charl Schwartzel and Justin Rose tied fifth on -7.

The McIlroy-Woods duel certainly caught the fancy of bookmakers with the Masters fast approaching. Ladbrokes now has the pair as 5/1 favorites for the year’s first major, followed by Phil Mickelson (8/1) and Westwood (14/1).

For now, though, the spotlight belongs to the new No. 1.

“I always felt like when I played my best, I would be hard to beat,” McIlroy said. “I feel like I’ve always been a pretty confident guy. But I think I’ve got a lot more belief in myself now when I’m going down the stretch. I definitely don’t doubt myself as much as I used to.”

This week’s WGC-Cadillac Championship features McIlroy, Woods and a host of the game’s best players taking on the TPC Blue Monster at Doral Resort in Miami. The tourney also serves as this week’s European Tour event.

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After current world No. 1 Luke Donald lost to Ernie Els in the opening round of the 64-man event, the door was open for McIlroy or Lee Westwood – ranked Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, entering the week – to claim the top spot. Fittingly, McIlroy and Westwood met in the semifinal round, with the young Northern Irishman beating his English elder 3 and 1.

That positioned McIlroy to earn the No. 1 ranking by beating Mahan, who defeated countryman Mark Wilson to reach the final match. Mahan proved too hot to handle in the Arizona sun, however, while McIlroy couldn’t feed off his triumph over Westwood. All square through five holes, Mahan forged a 4 up lead after 10 as McIlroy struggled. McIlroy cut the lead to 2 up with birdies on 11 and 14, but would get no closer.

The victory was Mahan’s fourth as a pro and his second in the WGC series; his most recent win came at the 2010 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Mahan entered the Match Play as the No. 6 seed in the Ben Hogan Bracket with a 10/1 shot at winning.

McIlroy, seeded first in the Gary Player Bracket, started the week as a 3/1 favorite while Westwood went off at 5/1. Tiger Woods (7/2) won his opening match, but fell to Nick Watney in round two.

At 20/1, Wilson carried the longest odds of the final four. He finished third by defeating Westwood, 1 up, in the consolation match.

Despite the hubbub surrounding the McIlroy-Westwood bout, the week belonged to Mahan. The 29-year-old led the field in birdies (35), playing beautifully from tee to green while holing miles of putts with a new Ping putter.

He also played the final with a small chip on his shoulder. “Deep down, you wanted to postpone that crowning of the No. 1 player in the world for Rory,” said Mahan, who nonetheless believes McIlroy will “be No. 1 eventually.”

For his part, McIlroy admitted his morning joust with Westwood may have left him drained. “No disrespect to the other guys in the semifinals,” he said, “but… to me it was like my final in a way.”

Mahan earned $1.4 million and jumped to No. 9 in the world ranking. He also marked himself as a solid pick in this year’s major championships, beginning with the Masters in April. Mahan is currently listed at 40/1 by Ladbrokes.

The PGA Tour crosses the country for this week’s star-studded Honda Classic in Florida. Tiger Woods (10/1), who lives nearby, is playing the event for the first time. He’s joined by McIlroy (7/1) and Westwood (12/1) in the field.

No European Tour event is scheduled for this week, with the WGC-Cadillac Championship, also in Florida, serving as the next official tourney.

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With many of the tour’s top players taking the week off or playing in the U.S., Kruger entered as one of the top picks on 25/1 odds. The 25-year-old proved his mettle with a Saturday 66, staking him to the lead headed into the final round. Kruger had a three-shot edge through 16 holes, then bogeyed 17 and looked destined for trouble at the 18^th.

He managed par on the closer, though, finishing with 14-under par and two shots clear of Spain’s Jorge Campillo (an 80/1 shot to win) and Germany’s Marcel Siem (25/1).

“I’m very relieved to win for the first time,” Kruger said. “If you want to win you need to make putts on the final day, and I did that today.” Kruger earned a €300,000 prize for his efforts.

Australia’s Marcus Fraser (25/1) and Spain’s Jose Manuel Lara (80/1) tied fourth on -11. Pre-tournament favorites Joost Luiten and Jamie Donaldson – both listed at 16/1 – tied for 17^th and 51^st, respectively.

Europe’s best headline a 64-man international field at this week’s WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in the U.S. Rory McIlroy is the pre-tourney favorite (11/1), followed by Tiger Woods (13/1), Luke Donald (15/1) and Lee Westwood (16/1). Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer are at 20/1 odds as of Monday, per SkyBets.

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The victory was Cabrera-Bello’s second overall and first since 2009. And Westwood wasn’t the only star he knocked off en route to the title. Rory McIlroy entered as a 4/1 favorite and opened with rounds of 65-66, but slipped at the weekend to tie for fifth. In fact, Westwood jumped McIlroy into second on the world rankings, McIlroy sliding to third.

Westwood appeared headed for his first victory of 2012 after three rounds, especially when he opened a two-shot lead with an eagle 2 on the par-4 second hole. His play was middling from that point on, however, as Westwood managed just one birdie against one bogey over the final 16 holes and settled for a 70. Gallacher fared better on the back nine, with an eagle and a birdie to challenge Cabrera-Bello.

The Spaniard, though, was up to the task. Three birdies on the homeward half sealed a 4-under 68 and 18-under-par total, earning him €315,532. He also climbed into the world’s top 60 to qualify for the 64-man WGC-Accenture Match Play Championships in the U.S. later this month.

The European Tour travels to India for this week’s Avantha Masters, where Joost Luiten (16/1), Gregory Havret (18/1) and Jamie Donaldson (20/1) are the early favorites according to SkyBet.

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Lawrie previously won in Qatar in 1999, the same year he claimed the Claret Jug as Open Champion. His latest victory was an emotional one, coming just months after the death of his longtime coach, Adam Hunter, from leukemia. Lawrie also surged back into the world’s top 50 after falling all the way to 272^nd just last year.

“I don’t think I can play much better than that,” said Lawrie, who chipped in twice in the final round and finished on -15 for the week. The tournament was reduced to 54 holes due to heavy rains. “You’ve got to go back to basics (when leading) and I did that. I hit some nice shots coming in.”

Though Lawrie ended with a comfortable cushion, the round wasn’t without challenges. Sergio Garcia was -6 through 11 holes and tied Lawrie’s lead, but Lawrie chipped in for eagle on the ninth. His second chip-in, on the 17^th, iced the cake.

American John Daly enjoyed his best effort in ages, finishing solo fourth on -9. Garcia fell back into a four-way tie for fifth.

Next stop for the European Tour is this week’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Rory McIlroy, who claimed his first professional victory there in 2009, leads a field featuring Lawrie, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer.

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Paired with Woods in the last grouping, Rock shared the three-round lead with the game’s biggest star on -11. The 34-year-old Englishman quickly showed his mettle, matching Woods’ birdies on holes 2 and 3. Woods, coming off a Saturday 66, was the first to blink, making bogeys on the next two holes as Rock remained steady with pars.

Woods would climb within a shot with a birdie on No. 9, but a bogey on 10 proved his undoing. Rock never relinquished the lead despite two back-nine stumbles, finishing one ahead of McIlroy.

“I really can’t believe I have done that today,” said Rock, who was playing with Woods for the first time after meeting him the day before. Woods declared his own game “just a touch off” following a closing 72, adding, “Robert played great. He made a couple of key up and downs and a couple of beautiful iron shots down the stretch.”

It was certainly a storybook day for Rock, a former club pro at Swingers Golf Centre who won for the first time last year. “It’s been a steady progression and I’ve worked hard,” he said, “but I didn’t think this would happen.”

Graeme McDowell rode a final-round hole-in-one to a third-place tie with Woods and Thomas Bjorn.

The European Tour remains in the Middle East for this week’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, where Bjorn will defend against a strong field.

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Grace, 23, became the first player to begin a European Tour season with consecutive wins since Fred Couples in 1995. In fact, he only made the Volvo’s winners-only field by taking the Joburg Open the week prior.

While his maiden triumph was no doubt special, this one may top it for significance. That’s because Grace beat Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, holders of a combined five major titles, on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. Els and Goosen couldn’t match Grace’s birdie on the par-5 18^th at the Links at Fancourt.

“I’m really ecstatic,” said Grace, who bolted into the top 100 of the world rankings. “It’s a dream come true to win such a big event – pretty much the best tournament I’ve played in so far.”

Grace nearly negated the need for extra holes, but missed a short birdie putt to end regulation. In fact, Grace fell four off the pace through four holes, but played in -5 the rest of the way for a 12-under total. Els and Goosen tied him with rounds of 67 and 70, respectively, as both eagled the 13^th to boost their chances.

Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts finished fourth on -11, a shot better than South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel. Aging Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal shared the lead early Sunday before falling to sixth.

The European Tour season gets underway in earnest this week with a trip to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. Tiger Woods will join the world’s top four players – Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer – in the stellar field.

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