Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy held off a dramatic final-day surge from Patrick Reed to win the Dubai Desert Classic for the third time on Monday.

The most satisfying thing is I haven’t had my best, far from it, and to be able to win when you don’t have your best, that’s the holy grail of what we are trying to do.” Somehow the fractured world of golf felt much a better place. I expended a lot of mental energy trying to focus on myself and focus on shooting a score and trying to reach a number.” Reed’s first dropped stroke of the day, at 16, restored parity before McIlroy landed what looked the major blow with a birdie at the penultimate hole. Last year, the 72nd hole of the Desert Classic cost McIlroy victory. “He looked through it and he identified it exactly the same way I did.” “I’ve looked through the binoculars, identified any golf ball and I explained what my markings were to the rules official” said the 2018 Masters champion. [correctly identified his ball in the branches of a palm tree](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jan/29/dp-world-tour-clarifies-rules-after-patrick-reed-penalty-drop-controversy) during round three. I’ve stood and defended Patrick in some of the controversies.” I want to win for my legacy and leaving my mark on the game. When McIlroy’s role as the unofficial voice of golf’s establishment against the rebel LIV tour, of which Reed is a part, is factored in it became easy to sense this meant more than a trophy. From Teegate to Treegate to a denouement that was well worth the wait.

Rory McIlroy fought off a sensational final-round charge from Patrick Reed when he birdied the last from 15 feet to win the Hero Dubai Desert Classic for ...

They avoided each other in the draw all week though McIlroy was standing on the tee behind when the American got a controversial drop on the 17th hole on Sunday. Reed would close with a birdie four for a 65 to draw level and set the target at 18-under, but 24 hours after finding water at the last and 12 months after another splashdown at the hole handed Viktor Hovland the title, McIlroy almost opened the door. But after finding himself a shot adrift of Reed, who played his first 15 holes in seven-under, with three holes to go, McIlroy found himself level when his rival bogeyed the 16th, then edged in front with a birdie at the 359-yard 17th.

The final round in the Middle East was pushed back a day after rain interfered with play late last week.

But the Texas native did putt for a birdie to finish 18-under-par for the week before McIlroy left himself with a putt to win the tournament. The American then held his nerve to par the 17th before McIlroy sank a birdie putt on the same hole to take a one-shot lead into the final hole. McIlroy dropped a shot after narrowly missing a putt on the 15th hole, but Reed also dropped a shot on 16 to leave the pair level at the top of the leaderboard. But a final round of 68 just saw McIlroy edge out his rival in the Middle East as he sunk a huge putt on the final hole to clinch victory. The world number one narrowly avoided the water from his tee shot on the 18th as he watched Reed miss an eagle putt on the same hole. The Holywood native had a three-shot lead going into the final round after a late blunder on Sunday gave the chasing pack renewed hope of preventing his third win in the event.