For Rory McIlroy it was a 105 kilometre drive from the front gates of the Abu Dhabi Golf Club to the front doors of the iconic Bedouin tent styled clubhouse at the Emirates Club in Dubai.
Dubai has long been McIlroy’s second home and it is the only location in the world where he’s won not once but four times.
And after yet another ‘all so near’ finish in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship returning to Dubai brings back so many fond victory memories for McIlroy.
He won a first Tour title in capturing the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic and three years won a second on the multi-award winning Majlis course. In between, McIlroy’s won two DP World Tour Championship crowns on the Jumeriah Estates Earth Course.
McIlroy’s last taste of success was over 450-days ago but in the bigger picture he left Abu Dhabi with his body in tact and that is in stark contrast a year ago when he travelled in pain from South Africa to Dubai to undergo an MRI on his back.
Oh the hair! Rory McIlroy wins his maiden Tour title in capturing the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic.
“The great thing heading to Dubai this compared to a year ago is that I am feeling good,” said McIlroy.
“Though in saying that I’ll probably take a day off (Monday). It’s been quite a build-up to competing in Abu Dhabi and and playing every day and practising.
“Look, it’s just something I’m going to have to keep on top of. It’s something that I’m wary of now and know that there’s certain vulnerabilities in my body like there is with everyone, whether someone — I used to have to look after my lower back in the early days and now that’s fine.
“So, I’m just going to have to look after this for a while but it’s totally fine. I’m 100 percent and yeah, as I say, I can’t wait to get at it again this week in Dubai.
“The great thing is mentally I feel great. It felt great to get another tournament under my belt. It’s a great start to the year. I have no complaints. My body held up really well. My game was probably better than I expected it to be. So, I’m really happy with the week.”
Seamus Power has muscled his way to a second-best finish of his PGA Tour career with a gutsy share of 11th place at the Career Builder Challenge at La Quinta in California.
Power posted a final round bogey-free two-under par 70 for an eventual 17-under par finish and only five shots adrift of new World No. 2 Jon Rahm who defeated American Andrew Landry with a birdie at the fourth extra play-off hole.
Rahm, 23 has now won four times in the past 12 months including success at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and heads to his defence of Thursday’s starting Farmers Insurance Open in the best form possible.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” Rahm said.
“I had a good feeling going into today, and to play the way I did and give myself a chance. Props to Andrew, to birdie 18 from the right rough, having to birdie it, it’s a heck of an accomplishment.”
“To follow-up a shot that ended up one foot away, had a makeable birdie putt every time, it’s amazing that he kept up and one of us had to do it and either one of us would have been a well-deserving champion. So, I would say congrats to him. It’s hard to explain what this means right now.”
Rahm’s victory has seen him overtake three-time Major winning Jordan Speith as World No. 2 and with Rahm accomplishing the feat are being ranked World No. 137 a year ago and rising to No. 46 with his victory at Torrey Pines.
Power was in trouble from the outset with the driver in finding the right rough.
After producing a gutsy third round seven-under par 65 to move to a hare of ninth place, Power headed straight to the far end of the range to work on his driver as the light began fading.
The West Waterford was still on the range when rock group, the Goo Goo Dolls began belting out such his songs as Slide, Here is Gone and Name at the main end of the PGA West range.
Power and his caddy left the course however it soon became apparent Power was going to have a tough final day in the office in his seventh event of the 2017/18 PGA Tour wraparound season.
A check of his stats reveals he hit just six of 14 fairways while his ‘driving accuracy’ over the four rounds was 42.86% and down on the average of 48.21%.
“The driver let me down on the weekend and it’s something I need to work on ahead of the Farmers Insurance,” he said.
