‘Rocky’ delivers as Rory rues rules breach
With the crowd chanting ‘Rocky’, ‘Rocky’, ‘Rocky’ the 33-year-old Englishman, who refuses to wear a cap, carded a final round 70 to win by a stroke with a 13-under par tally. McIlroy was left ruing a second round two-stroke penalty to snare second place with a 69 for a 12-under par score.
McDowell aced the par three 12th and hit a third shot from a bunker at the last that ricocheted off a grandstand to land just six feet from the flag for birdie in a round of 68 to share third place on 11-under par with Woods (72) and Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn (68).
Woods burst into the lead with birdies at two and three but it proved the high-water mark of his challenge and with much work still to do to win a full field stroke play event in more than two years.
Rock, in stark contrast to the 2009 Irish Open when he had the weight of an all-Ireland crowd cheering Shane Lowry on victory, found plenty of ex-pat support round the National club course.
Many of those were in the UAE capital for England’s second Test match against Pakistan that ended a day earlier with an England collapse.
“There were some crazy guys out there shouting some pretty weird stuff but I got a lot of support and it was quite surprising, and kind of nice,” said Rock.
Victory earned Rock a €347,024 prize cheque that lifted the BMW Italian Open champion to second on the Race to Dubai and into 11th place on the Ryder Cup points table. And Rock revealed after his round how he told Woods to “stand still, please” on the 10th tee thinking at the time it was a one of the many marshals.
McIlroy was runner-up for a second year in succession and his only consolation was moving to the top of the Ryder Cup points table.
McIlroy, who remains in Dubai this week ahead of next week’s Dubai Desert Classic, recorded four birdies including one at the last that secured second by himself.
“It’s a good start to the year and it’s nice to go out there in the final round of my first tournament you play with the chance to win,” he said.
And while quizzed on television about the two-shot penalty on Friday, McIlroy displayed how he’s matured by responding: “Actually I was not thinking about it at all.
“It’s just one of those things. It happens and I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.”
McDowell became the third player in the event to hole out at the par three 12th and earn three nights stay a year at the seven-star Emirates Palace for the remainder of his life. It was also the Ulsterman’s ninth career hole-in-one and it helped him play his closing seven holes five under par.
“It certainly was an eventful last seven holes but any time you come home in 31 shots on a Sunday and be semi in the mix is always a good day’s work.”
Ballyclare’s Gareth Maybin commenced his new season sharing 14th place on seven under, while Pádraig Harrington was returning home for a week’s break ahead of his first event in the US this year, next week’s AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Harrington carded a final round 73, his poorest all week, to share 35th place on three under par.
Michael Hoey recorded a 72 for a one under par total and a share of 48th place.
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