Rory McIlroy emerged victorious from an enthralling duel with famous foe Patrick Reed thanks to a putt of genuine testicular fortitude as he won the Dubai Desert Classic today.
McIlroy birdied the final two holes to finish with a 68 and sank a massive 15-foot putt to birdie the last and finish on 19 under par for the rain-delayed tournament.
Birdie on 18 from Rory McIlroy! What a putt!!!pic.twitter.com/mGqLZvQcAl
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) January 30, 2023
It was an unexpectedly tense season opener for McIlroy but the drama with Patrick Reed ensured that there was huge tension on the final round. To borrow pro wrestling parlance, it was a shootout between golf's leading face and heel.
Reed himself, on the back of Sunday's tree drama, was in scintillating form today, shooting 65.
His birdie on 18 put real pressure on the World #1 as McIlroy took on the par 5 last hole, which has caused him complete havoc in the past. McIlroy lost this tournament last year on the 18th and was in the water twice on the hole in round 2 this year.
McIlroy 🤝❌ This 18th hole pic.twitter.com/hDqCldySHB
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) January 30, 2023
He was lucky to avoid the drink again with his tee shot today. It literally landed on the boundary line, three feet from the water.
A VERY narrow escape for Rory McIlroy 😅🤏 pic.twitter.com/mUV9QpMQoR
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) January 30, 2023
McIlroy would admit that he got lucky not to put his drive in the water, and opted to lay up.
He then left himself a challenging 15-footer to win and that he did. The birdie meant we were spared the McIlroy-Reed playoff which would have been guaranteed fireworks given the tension between the two players which bubbled up ahead of the first round.
"It's probably sweeter than it should be or needs to be," McIlroy said after the round.
🗣️ "It's was one of the toughest rounds I've ever had to play. I showed a lot of mental strength today."
Rory McIlroy discusses his focus this week after the incident with Patrick Reed. pic.twitter.com/qSOXb8HKBZ— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) January 30, 2023
"Mentally, today was one of the toughest rounds I've had to play. It would be really easy to let your emotions get in the way. I just had to really concentrate on focusing on myself and forget about who was on the leaderboard," He told Sky Sports.
Rory McIlroy Prize Winnings After Dubai Win
For winning the tournament, McIlroy earned a tidy payday of $1.53 million. Reed earned $990,000 for his second place finish.
As we dig in for another year of tension between the LIV and PGA tour, this was an emphatic victory for the old guard.
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