DUBAI: Sweden's Robert Karlsson won the Dubai World Championship Sunday, beating third-round leader Ian Poulter in a two-way playoff after a bizarre blunder by the Englishman on the final hole. Karlsson calmly rolled in a birdie putt on the second playoff hole after Poulter had been given a one-stroke penalty for dropping his ball on his marker on the green, causing it to flip over and move from its original position. Poulter spotted his error and reported it to the match referee, whose ruling left him with a long putt for par instead of a birdie. The putt came up a foot short, taking all the pressure off the Swede as he then had two shots to clinch the victory in the season-ending $7.5 million tournament. He needed just one to secure his second European Tour victory this year. It was his third straight birdie on the 18th green, having caught up to Poulter on his last hole in regulation when his approach shot landed within a few feet of the pin. He rolled that in to close with a 5-under 67 and a 14-under total of 274. Poulter then had a birdie putt for the victory at the 18th but missed to force the playoff, where both players birdied the first hole. Karlsson led after the first round but followed it up with a 75 Friday to seemingly fall out of contention. But he recovered with consecutive rounds of 67, and started Sunday with consecutive birdies. His second shot on the par-4 third then landed on the green and rolled in for an eagle. He had two more birdies on the back nine before a lovely approach shot that almost hit the pin on the 18th, spun back and landed within a few feet of the hole. Germany's Martin Kaymer, meanwhile, finished the season as Europe's No. 1 golfer after winning the ‘The Race to Dubai' Sunday. Kaymer's feat was confirmed after Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell missed out on a top three finish at the Dubai World Championship in Sunday's final round. The German finished with a round of 72, and while McDowell joined him on six under par in a share of 13th place following a 68, it was Kaymer who finished as European Number One. Kaymer notably won the US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits this season, adding victories at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, the KLM Open and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
