Just when you think Rory McIlroy has posted the best win of his career, he outdoes himself and goes one step better. He has had several sensational victories since turning professional in 2007, but yesterday, winning the Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club was definitely the finest of his 16 international triumphs.
When he won the 2011 US Open at Congressional, it was thought he’d win a lot more tournaments, but none would come even close to the significance of that win. That’s because it came barely two months after his heart-breaking final-round 80 at the Masters.
A round like that would have scarred most players for the rest of their lives, but McIlroy is made of sterner stuff. At the age of 21, he showed enough maturity to bounce back from that disaster in style, and win the tournament with a record low score of 16-under par and a massive margin of eight shots.
But then came the 2014 BMW PGA Championship. McIlroy was supposedly still struggling with his new Nike equipment – he had won just one tournament since the 2012 DP World Tour Championship and his world ranking had fallen outside the top-10.
If that wasn’t enough, McIlroy announced at the beginning of the week in Wentworth that he had broken up with his girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki, a couple of days after sending out their wedding invitations.
Those two wins were ample proof of McIlroy’s immense mental strength, but let’s not forget that at Congressional, McIlroy had nothing to lose, and at the BMW PGA Championship, he was coming from behind. On Sunday in Wentworth, he shot a 66 while leader Thomas Bjorn fizzled away.
However, the win in Dubai yesterday proved he is not just mentally strong, he is also extremely smart and has learnt how to win ugly – which really has been the hallmark of great champions over the years. Like an experienced boxer, he now knows that if things are not going his way, he does not have to knock out his opponent in the second round…he can take him the distance and still outwit him.
This win tested him in all departments – it could not have been psychologically easy, considering he had the examples of former major champions Martin Kaymer and Charl Schwartzel who had lost big leads on the final day just a few weeks ago.
And then, there was the thought of his upcoming court battle this week. As much as McIlroy says he was not thinking about it, it must have weighed heavy on his mind. After all, according to reports from Ireland, there is a possibility that if the verdict goes completely against him, McIlroy will have to pay close to $20 million to his former management company as compensation.
And finally, the world No1 has rarely played well in the final round in Dubai. He has never broken 70 on the Sunday, and his previous lowest final round was a 70 during his win in 2009.
But he stayed focused and got the job done in a clinical fashion. Off the tee he hit just nine fairways, but most of his misses were marginal and immense physical strength helped him get out of any rough. Those at the golf course hoping to see the birdie machine in action, must have been disappointed. But pars were far more valuable for McIlroy. He knew that and played accordingly, making it one of the most calculated and impressive rounds of his life yesterday.
