Andy Sullivan finished strong Sunday at the AVIV Dubai Championship, making five straight birdies on Nos. 13-17 and ending with an eagle on his 72nd hole to vault into a tie for fourth place 20-under 268, three shots behind winner Joachim Hansen.
It marked the third top 10 of the European Tour season for Sullivan, who’s No. 131 in the world rankings. However, it wasn’t enough to secure him a spot in this week’s season finale at the DP World Tour Championship. The 34-year-old Englishman, a four-time winner, finished 55th in the Race to Dubai and is listed as the first alternate for the event. Sullivan has played in the last seven consecutive Tour Championships, dating back to 2014 and highlighted by a second place in 2015 and back-to-back T-10s in 2019 and 2020. “I sort of knew I needed a big finish to get into next week, so I started great but then it wasn’t going to plan and then when I was on 13-under par I relaxed and thought it wasn’t going to happen this week,” he said. “Then I started to hit better shots, had great putts. It was amazing. It’s been such a poor year for me and to finish like that -- if that’s my last nine of the year I’ll go into next season with loads of positives.”