In golf, there are weeks when you can do nothing wrong. Whatever you touch, turns into gold. The Omega Dubai Desert Classic was one such week for Rafael Cabrera-Bello.

The young Spaniard was a picture of consistency as he put together four fantastic rounds of golf at the Majlis course and was a deserving winner by one shot in the end. It would have been easy to dismiss his 63 on the opening day as a fluke, but that was not the case as he proved in stunning fashion as he backed it up with rounds of 69, 70 and a solid, bogey-free 68 on the final day.

Of all the statistics we have in golf, I have always placed the greatest emphasis on greens in regulation (GIR), followed by putts per GIR. Putting can sometimes be a matter of luck, and the difference between good and bad putting can be as miniscule as a couple of millimeters. But higher the percentage of GIRs, means better the chances of making birdies. It is perhaps the best indicator of a players’ form.

The point I am trying to make in relation to the tournament is that Cabrera-Bello led the Greens in Regulation stats at 85 per cent. That’s an incredible number, especially considering that he played his final two rounds in tough, windy conditions.

Each and every shot matters in a tournament and this was proved once again when it took just one poor shot from Lee Westwood to lose the tournament by one shot. That chip on the 18th which rushed almost 20 feet past the pin would play on his mind for some time.

The European Tour moves to India for the Avantha Masters this week, and obviously, it is extremely exciting for me to play in front of my home fans. I am happy with my form but unfortunately, I caught a bad case of the ’flu midway through the Desert Classic. The last two rounds were excruciating as I played with a running nose, throbbing head pain and fever. Hopefully, it would have passed by the time we start the tournament in Delhi.