Nice guy Thomas shows killer streak

They say it takes one to know one. So when Thomas Bjorn was so complimentary here about the character of Tiger Woods, it spoke volumes about the manner in which the Dane conducts himself.

Certainly, no-one deserved victory in the £1 million Dubai Desert Classic more than a golfer who is a genuine nice guy yet can be as tough as they come when he has a club or putter in his hand.

Over the course of four thrilling rounds of golf, Bjorn went head-to-head with the world's most intimidating player and traded eagles and birdies with him.

But when the outcome finally came down to the 547-yards par five last with both 21 under, it was Woods faltered.

The 25-year-old American put his drive into the trees, chipped an eight-iron recovery into the gallery, and finally hit a lofted nine-iron approach into the water guarding the front of the green to card a seven.

It was sufficient to hand a two-shot victory to Bjorn who finished with a 69 for a 22 under tournament record total of 266.

The 30-year-old former European Ryder Cup player said: "It doesn't get much better than this."

With his bank balance boosted by a first prize cheque of £166,660 , he added: "This is the best performance of my life, by far. To go out there and to play with the guy for four days and then beat him is probably any golfer's dream."