The one-shot win was made all the sweeter for the victor, given the tournament, the history – and the conquered.
“I'm going to enjoy this,” said Rory McIlroy, moments after the birdie on the 72nd and final hole at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic that clinched a record-equalling third Dallah Trophy. “This is probably sweeter than it should be, or needs to be.”
McIlroy did not spell it out, but the implication was obvious. The world No 1 had duked it out with Patrick Reed on a thrilling Monday at Emirates Golf Club, when the two traded spots at the top of the leader board throughout the back nine until McIlroy had the last laugh.
“I had to dig deep,” the 2009 and 2015 champion conceded after carding a four-under-par 68 for an unassailable 19-under total.
Boy, how he did. The week in Dubai began with Reed tossing a tee in irritation at McIlroy on the range, off the back of a 2022 in which the American signed for LIV Golf and the Northern Irishman became the voice of the traditional tours.
It concluded with McIlroy needing birdie on 18 to see off the person billed across the rain-affected event as his nemesis.
“Mentally today was probably one of the toughest rounds I've ever had to play,” the four-time major champion admitted. “Because it would be really easy to let your emotions get in the way.
“I just had to really concentrate on focusing on myself; forget who was up there on the leaderboard. And I did that really, really well. I feel like I showed a lot of mental strength out there today.”
He overcame perhaps a mental block, too. For the first time in a career comparable to few, McIlroy won his opening tournament of a calendar year. He had started the Classic’s first competitive Monday with a three-shot lead, but by the 10th Reed, playing in the penultimate group, had pulled level with an eagle that was very nearly an albatross.
From there, the two took turns at the summit, only for McIlroy’s first bogey of the day, on the par-3 15th, to threaten his quest for silverware.
However, Reed promptly bogeyed the next, leaving McIlroy to birdie 17 to hold a one-shot advantage going down the last.
When Reed sunk a putt up ahead for four for a seven-under-par 65 that hoisted him alongside McIlroy on 18-under, it left the game’s lead player needing birdie or better to prevail.
McIlroy’s drive nestled right on the water’s edge that lurked just beyond the fairway. Left with 196 yards to the pin, and with memories of finding the water 12 months ago – back then he let slip a shot at winning – and again in Sunday’s third round, McIlroy elected instead to lay up.
It proved unquestionably the right decision.
“Honestly, I feel like I got lucky that my ball didn't go in the water off the tee shot,” he said. “It's such an awkward tee shot for me. Driver is too much, and 3-wood is not quite enough.
“Tried to hit a sort of easy driver and it came out really, really hot … [then] I really only had one choice. I needed to lay up and try to get up-and-down that way.
“I said yesterday with the two balls in the water on Sunday, last year and then yesterday, ‘Fool me once, shame on me and fool me twice, I wasn't going to get fooled a third time’.
“It was nice to be able to play the percentages and make it pay off.”
Not that getting paid is what drives him any more – if it ever did – but the 15-foot birdie putt banked McIlroy a cool $1.53 million. It represented also his first victory on the DP World Tour's elevated Rolex Series.
“It means a lot,” McIlroy said. “It's funny: [caddie] Harry [Diamond] said to me, ‘Finally we get a gold bib’. Obviously, I haven't won one of these big ones before.
“It was a battle all day. Honestly, it's been a battle all week. I think the most satisfying thing to me is I haven't had my best – far from it – and to be able to win when you don't have your best, that's the holy grail of what we're trying to do.
“Just ecstatic that I gave myself an opportunity the first week back out. I definitely feel there's tons of room for improvement, but it's a great start to the year.”
The reaction on 18 once the decisive putt dropped exemplified that.
“Yeah, big release,” said McIlroy, who in his past seven events has gone a remarkable win-second-fourth-fourth-win-fourth-win. “Again, I had to bottle everything up today, and then was finally able to let it all out on the 18th green.
“I've already had so many wonderful memories around this golf course [the Classic was his first win as a professional] and Dubai in general, so to create some more today, it's just really cool.
“Dubai has been a big part of my career and my journey, and to put my name on this trophy for a third time today, to join Ernie Els, is a pretty cool feeling.”