Rory McIlroy pipped rival Patrick Reed to win the Dubai Desert Classic by one shot on Monday, saying the victory is ‘sweeter than it should be’.
The Northern Irishman went into the final round leading by three strokes – and four ahead of Reed – at the top of the leaderboard.
But the American took the lead after picking up seven birdies in the first 13 holes, before bogeying the 16th, where he then picked up another shot on the 18th.
Reed carded a round of 65 to put him in good stead to claim the first title of the year.
But McIlroy, the world No.1, responded with two birdies in the final two holes which included holing a 20-footer to win the championship.
McIlroy has revealed his victory means more due to the fact it is against the LIV Golf star, who he has been embroiled in a war of words with in the last week.
The two have been going through a war of their own after a subpoena was sent out in McIlroy’s name with the 33-year-old called as a witness in Reed’s defamation case against the PGA Tour.
And prior to the start of the competition, McIlroy ignored Reed on the driving range – leading the latter to respond by flicking a LIV Golf tee in his direction.
Golf then went from ‘Tee-gate’ to ‘Tree-gate’ after Reed was accused of misleading officials after his ball got stuck in a tree on the 17th hole on Sunday.
He used a set of binoculars to identify the ball as ‘100 per cent’ his, though golf fans watching on TV were convinced it was someone else’s with Reed’s ball in a different tree.
Speaking after his win, McIlroy was asked whether there was ‘added incentive because of who was up there?’
To which he said: “Absolutely.”
He added: “It was a battle all day. Honestly it’s been a battle all week.
“I’m going to enjoy this. This is probably sweeter than it should be or needs to be. But I feel like I’ve still got some stuff to work on.
“I really feel like I haven’t had my best all week but I showed a lot of mental strength.”
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News Summary:
- Rory McIlroy says beating rival Patrick Reed to Dubai Desert Classic is ‘sweeter than it should be’ after ‘Tee-gate’ debacle and tree cheating claim
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