McIlroy pips Reed by one shot to win third Dubai Desert Classic crown
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McIlroy pips Reed by one shot to win third Dubai Desert Classic crown
(Reuters) - World number one Rory McIlroy won his third Dubai Desert Classic title on Monday after he shot a final round of 68 to finish at 19-under overall, beating Patrick Reed by one stroke.
Reed finished with a commendable final-round score of 65 which included an eagle on the par-five 10th hole but bogeyed the 16th to post 18-under overall.
In response, McIlroy kept his cool and birdied the last two holes - including a wedge to 15 feet and a downhill putt on the 18th - to celebrate his first title on the DP World Tour since November 2019.
"It was a battle all day. Honestly it has been a battle all week. I really feel like I haven t had my best all week but I managed my game and played really smart," McIlroy said.
"I managed my game well, lots of room for improvements... Mentally, today, it was probably one of the toughest rounds I ve ever had to play because it would have been really easy to let your emotions get in the way.
"I m going to enjoy this. This is probably sweeter than it should be or needs to be... A really good foundation for the year."
Australia s Lucas Herbert, who had set the clubhouse target at 16-under overall earlier in the day, finished third.
