GOLF/EUROPEAN TOUR RACE TO DUBAI:RORY McILROY is aiming to take his game to the next level after claiming a thrilling maiden professional victory at the Dubai Desert Classic yesterday.
The 19-year-old held his nerve to hole a three-foot putt for par at the last, sealing a final-round two-under-par 70 to finish one shot ahead of Justin Rose, who could have forced a play-off but missed a birdie putt at 18 and had to settle for a 67.
McIlroy’s six-shot lead at the start of the day had been whittled down to one by the time the Northern Irishman headed up the final fairway, but he kept his composure for the vital putt to secure the win.
Afterwards he was delighted to have risen 15 places to 14th in the world rankings and to second in the Race to Dubai, and he wants to continue his recent run of form in America where he will play four events before April’s Masters.
“This win has definitely moved me up a step and I just want to keep getting better and better,” said McIlroy.
“Your success only makes you more motivated to do better. I have become a very good player, but I still have a lot of years to progress and I just want to keep improving and hopefully one day I will be able to compete with Tiger (Woods).
“I will have to reassess my goals, but I will just go out every week and try and get myself into contention going into the back nine on Sunday, and that’s my goal every week.”
McIlroy came close to his maiden win last year when he suffered play-off defeats at the European Masters and Hong Kong Open, and it appeared to be again slipping through his young hands yesterday as five consecutive birdies around the turn were cancelled out by three straight bogeys on the back nine.
He set pulses racing as he overhit his approach to the final green into a back bunker, but he played a delicate shot out of the sand and eased the ball to three feet of the pin – a shot he rated as the best from the sand he has ever played.
And after watching 2007 Order of Merit winner Rose miss a 15-foot putt which would have forced a play-off, McIlroy converted his par to claim the biggest cheque of his career, €323,514.99.
“You watch it on TV and you see guys coming down the stretch with a four- or five-shot lead and you think it’s easy, but it’s not,” he added.
“You still have to play the shots and hole the putts. I got myself into a great position in the middle of the back nine, but Justin fought back. But it was nice to hold it together on the last and get a great up and down.
“I went to the 18th tee, knowing I still had a one-shot lead and Justin needed to birdie it. I hit a perfect lay-up shot and it was just a little bit of adrenaline, my hands got into it and I flipped my third shot into the bunker.
“It was tricky up and down and I took a few deep breaths and composed myself. It was probably one of the best bunker shots I have ever played. To knock the putt in was just great.
“It’s definitely a burden off my shoulders.
“If I hadn’t won having a six-shot lead it would have been pretty hard to take and pretty hard to come back from. But I was able to scrape in at the end. It’s not about how many but how in the end.
“All these situations I have put myself in is all experience and I am gathering them all in. Obviously all the experiences I have had in the past helped me today, and hopefully this experience will help me in the future.”
McIlroy played eight holes early in the morning to complete his third-round 67.
All but three of the top 15 places were taken by Europeans, with Henrik Stenson third and Martin Kaymer, Paul Casey and Robert Karlsson tied for fourth. Miguel Angel Jimenez finished joint seventh ahead of world number two Sergio Garcia, while new Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie was 13th alongside Alvaro Quiros and Ross Fisher.
McIlroy profile:
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269 (-19)
Rory McIlroy (N Ire) 64 68 67 70
€ 323,514.99
270 (-18)
Justin Rose (Eng)68 66 69 67
€ 215,674
271 (-17)
Henrik Stenson (Swe) 68 65 71 67
€ 121,514
272 (-16)
Paul Casey (Eng) 68 68 68 68
Robert Karlsson (Swe) 65 71 71 65
Martin Kaymer (Ger) 70 67 68 67
€82.439
1 Sergio Garcia (Spn) €763,481
2 Rory McIlroy (N Ire) €609,410
3 Oliver Wilson (Eng) €525,870
4 Henrik Stenson (Swe) €459,303
5 Alvaro Quiros (Spn) €436,205
6 Richard Sterne (Rsa) €429,523
7 Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) €427,213
8 Paul Casey (Eng) €394,983
9 Wen-tang Lin (Tpe) €327,384
10 Peter Hanson (Swe) €311,583
11 Martin Kaymer (Ger) €270,034
12 Anders Hansen (Den) €255,946
13 Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) €234,906
14 Francesco Molinari (Ita) €224,146
15 Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) €219,708
16 Justin Rose (Eng) €218,624
17 Andrew McLardy (Rsa) €208,759
18 Johan Edfors (Swe) €196,143
19 Damien McGrane (Ire) €175,520
20 Rodney Pampling (Aus) €165,244
