Rock solid Robert Rock denied three U.S. Open champions, including Tiger Woods, to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

With chants of ‘Rocky’, ‘Rocky’, ‘Rocky’, the 34-year old Rock lived up to his name posting a final round 70 to win by a stroke with a 13-under par tally.

Many of those were in the UAE capital for the England Second Test Match encounter against Pakistan that ended a day earlier with England routed.

So they instead made their way to the nearby National golf club to cheer on one of their own against one of the game’s greatest-ever players.

“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.

Rock becomes just a handful of players to have played alongside Woods in the final round and come out in front of the 14-Major winning Woods.

Rock and Woods began the last day locked on 11-under par and with Woods forging in front early on but Woods’ challenge for a first full field tournament victory in over two years floundered with the American carding a 72 to share third place on 11-under par.

Rock, confessing to a serious case of nerves, steadied to head to the last leading by three but only to find the bank of a water hazard down the last.

However Rock stayed calm taking a penalty drop and then finding the green in four and two-putting for his second Race to Dubai success after capturing last May’s BMW Italian Open.

“It’s difficult playing with Tiger as almost every shot threatens to go in,” he said. 

“So I felt a lot of pressure and I couldn’t afford any lapses in concentration at all. 

“But I was perfectly prepared Tiger to do whatever he wanted. If he was going to shoot eight, nine under par and beat me by miles, that would be fine with me.

“So now I am not heading home to give myself a few days to contemplate on winning this event.”

However there was a humorous moment on the 10th tee with Rock telling Woods to ‘stand still, please’ and thinking at the time it was a one of the many marshals.

Reigning U.S. Open champion, Rory McIlroy moved to the top of the Ryder Cup points table with a 68 to finish second on 12-under par.

Fellow Irishman and fellow U.S. Open champ, Graeme McDowell became the third player to ace the 12th in a 68 to share third with Woods and Dane Thomas Bjorn (78).

McDowell earned a three day stay each year at the 7-star Emirates Palace for the rest of his life for the ninth ace of his career.

However the 2010 Pebble Beach winning hero and former Scottish Open winner was blushing brightly after he thinned a third shot from a bunker at the last that ricocheted off a grandstand to land just six feet from the flag for birdie.