As Rory McIlroy clamped down on his bottom lip, his little white ball hurtling towards the water, a gasp could be heard around the Dubai desert. The rough acted as a bumper to ensure a “lucky” McIlroy, haunted by last year’s splash on the 18th hole, would eventually escape with victory over rival Patrick Reed despite flirting with danger once more.
This most absorbing of final rounds on the DP World Tour underlined that magnetic force that binds McIlroy and gripping drama. A three-shot lead whittled down by Reed added a fascinating narrative following ‘teegate’. But the shaky edge to a 15th victory on the European circuit, his third at this particular event, while denying Reed, only gave him more pleasure.
