WORLD NUMBER two Rory McIlroy said a more mature approach to his game can help him add to his trophy haul when he makes his seventh straight appearance at the Dubai Desert Classic tomorrow.
McIlroy (22) first appeared at the Dubai tournament as a precocious 16-year-old in 2006 and won the event in 2009 for his first European Tour win. The Northern Irishman then bounced back from an agonising near-miss at last year’s US Masters to romp to a record eight-shot triumph at the US Open.
“I feel like I’ve definitely matured a lot this past year as a golfer and probably just as a person as well,” said McIlory yesterday at the Majlis course in Dubai. “I feel like I can play more controlled golf when I need to.
“When you’re not playing as well, you need to know your limitations, reel it back in a little bit and play the percentages a bit more.”
This approach worked for McIlroy at January’s Abu Dhabi Championship where only a two-stroke penalty denied him victory. “I don’t feel like the golf that I played in Abu Dhabi deserved to win,” said McIlory. “I scored very well and was able to get myself into contention, which was great.”
McIlroy was paired with 14-times Major winner Tiger Woods in three out of four rounds in Abu Dhabi and he was full of praise for the former world number one. “I’d spent a little bit of time with him before that, but not as much as I did then,” said McIlroy.
“It was nice to play with him, and I felt pretty relaxed out there in his company, and we chatted the whole way around.”
Robert Rock, who finished a shot ahead of McIlroy in Abu Dhabi, is ready to roll again – after sleeping in his car when it was stuck in snow on the M25 last weekend. “That brought me back down to earth pretty quick,” said Rock and goes head-to-head with McIlroy again.
Rock chose to take last week off following the biggest win of his life, but is now knuckling down to the task of putting himself on the world stage more often. At 58th on the rankings the 34-year-old English golfer looks safe for a place in the 64-man Accenture world match play championship in Arizona later this month.
The field for that is determined this weekend, but Rock is also looking to be in the top 50 at the end of next month in order to celebrate his next birthday by making his debut at the US Masters.
“I didn’t think that would be in the pipeline in the next few years, but I’ve got the opportunity to play in a few big tournaments if I can keep up a decent run,” he told reporters at the Emirates Club.
“As much as I was tempted to sit back and enjoy it for a bit more, I needed to get myself back and focus on my golf. I am a big believer in momentum. In my starting years I would have one good tournament and the next one would be a good way down the road.
“I never built on it, I never had two or three good weeks in a row. To make the most out of your game you need to have those good stretches of three to four weeks.
“Two weeks ago I didn’t even think the Matchplay, Doral (the season’s second world championship on March 8th-11th) and the Masters were on the cards. I booked weeks off, so the schedule has changed and the practice routine has changed a bit too. I am very excited.
“It’s massively overwhelming. I’m just a normal golfer who’s done something that’s attracted attention. I have Tiger Woods to thank for that – I owe him a beer.”
As well as getting the better of Woods in Abu Dhabi, Rock beat the world’s top four in Luke Donald, McIlroy, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer. Of that quartet only Donald is not present in Dubai.
McIlroy is one of six Irish players in the field in Dubai, where he is joined by Michael Hoey – who has shown decent form in recent weeks in maintaining his bid for a maiden Ryder Cup appearance, currently lying ninth on the European points list – as well as Shane Lowry, Peter Lawrie, Damien McGrane and Gareth Maybin.
DESERT CLASSIC
Course: Emirates Golf Club, Dubai.
Prize money: €1.9 million.
Length: 7,301yrds. Par: 72. Field: 138.
The layout:11 under par has been enough to reach at least a play-off for the last two years but traditionally the Emirates has been a low-scoring track. The back nine is the scoring half, with three par fives and two relatively short par threes. Defending champion: Alvaro Quiros
Type of player suited to challenge:Length is useful, particularly on the final two par fives, which are classic risk-reward holes, but with plenty of water and numerous doglegs more measured operators can also succeed.
Key attribute: Accuracy.
Weather forecast: Wind is a likely to be a key factor with gusts of up to 25mph expected.
On TV: Sky Sports 1 from 6am.
