Rory McIlroy beats Patrick Reed to win Dubai Desert Classic
The world number one finished on 19 under par after making birdies on his final two holes to shoot a four-under 68 and win by one stroke
Rory McIlroy emerged victorious after a tense tussle with Patrick Reed in the last round of the Dubai Desert Classic
McIlroy, a Northern Irishman, had a three-shot lead over the field after the first round, but Reed (65), who picked up six shots in his first 11 holes, eliminated that lead.
Following Reed’s birdie on hole 18 to tie the score, McIlroy retaliated with three more birdies before sealing the deal with a 20-footer.
In Dubai, prolonged rain forced play to extend into a fifth day. The DP World Tour’s finale, which took place on the Majlis course at the Emirates Golf Club, saw McIlroy hold off LIV Golf’s Reed for the first Monday finish in 35 years.
“Mentally it was very tough,” McIlroy told BBC Sport, referring to his rivalry with Reed. “I felt like I could have let my emotions get in the way of what I was trying to do because of who was up there on the leaderboard.
“I expended a lot of mental energy just trying to focus on myself.
“I’m going to enjoy this. This is probably sweeter than it should be or needs to be.”
The ongoing animosity, which erupted earlier in the week when McIlroy disregarded Reed on the driving range and the American retaliated by flicking a LIV Golf tee in his direction, was at its latest escalation.
Then, McIlroy gave an explanation of his decision to turn down Reed’s effort at dialogue.
“I was subpoenaed by his lawyer on Christmas Eve,” said the 33-year-old, who has been called as a witness in Reed’s defamation case against the PGA Tour among others.
Fans wanted to see McIlroy and Reed partnered together at some time, and it set the tone for the rest of the week. Even though that did not occur, the drama on the last day did not let anyone down.
With three birdies in his first six holes, Reed, who was in the penultimate group and started four strokes behind McIlroy, quickly ate into that advantage as McIlroy struggled to make pars.
The Northern Irishman then made birdies on holes nine, ten, and thirteen to keep up with Reed, who made an eagle on hole five and added two more birdies on holes eleven and thirteen.
After 14 holes, they were tied on 18 under, and McIlroy blinked first. His opening shot of the round was lost when he missed the green on the short 15th hole and was unable to get up and down for par.
However, Reed was having issues up ahead following an errant drive on the par-four 16th hole. He used a sideways chip to get out of trouble, but it took him three more shots to miss his opening attempt of the day.
Reed’s opportunity to make a birdie on the par-4 17th was lost due to another poor drive, while McIlroy gained ground by nearly driving the green and hitting two putts from the front edge.
Reed drew level with a birdie on the last, watched by McIlroy who was back down the fairway deliberating whether to take on the lake that protects the front of the green, after narrowly avoiding water with his drive.
Mindful of the fact he had hit balls into the water both on Sunday and in the final round last year, McIlroy chose the safer option. He then hit a solid wedge shot in and let out a tremendous roar after holing the birdie putt.
“I was in two minds but with what happened yesterday and last year, I wanted to go wedge and give myself an opportunity,” he said, after claiming his third Dubai Desert Classic title.
“It was nice to be able to play the percentages and for it pay off. It’s a great start to the year.”
Australia’s Lucas Herbert closed with a six-under 66 to finish third on 16 under.
Englishman Ian Poulter, who now competes on the LIV Golf tour, had a great chance to join Herbert at that point but he missed the green with his third shot on the par-five last hole after laying up short of the lake with his second. As a result, the round ended with a shabby double-bogey and 13 under overall.
The lowest round of the day was an eight-under 64 by Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, who left his position as European Ryder Cup captain to join LIV Golf, bringing his score to 12 under.
The 13 LIV players’ eligibility to participate in the European-based DP World Tour will be decided in court sessions in London from February 6 to 10.
