Rory McIlroy revels in his one-shot win over bitter tee-gate rival Patrick Reed

If the pilot flies a plane like his passenger flew his golf ball, Rory McIlroy will take the scenic route back to Florida. And yet there will be a trophy in the cellar and the satisfaction in his mind of a dramatically won grudge match.

McIlroy claiming his third Dubai Desert Classic in third gear is just the briefest summary of his eventful journey to the Middle East, that is, one that began with an all-powerful storm in a teacup and ended with a large teapot. size in his arms.

In both sagas, he faced off against Patrick Reed, and together they delivered a quirky and magnificent kind of theatrics, with one act given over to the acrimony of a dropped tee and the next a thrilling sporting contest that ultimately settled with the final. putt from the final hole.

‘Was there an added incentive because of who was up there?’ McIlroy said, before answering his own question: ‘Absolutely.’

Reed, who else? – had been the LIV golfer who emerged from the pack in round four to turn a McIlroy procession into a riveting fight.

His deficit with the world number 1 at the start of the game was four shots, but a scintillating 65 had seen the controversial American at home at 18-under-par for the tournament and level with McIlroy in the group coming up behind him.

Toward McIlroy. Driver in hand, he often seemed wayward in his first tournament of the season, and with an ominous cut he nearly botched it in his last.

He had lost this same event in 2022 with an approach to the water at 18 and this time his tee shot came within six inches of drowning.

That left a choice: go to the par-five green from 200 yards out of the rough water and over the water, or stay put, knowing that a five would require a playoff and direct matchup with a man he had avoided on the course since his driving range spat.

This being McIlroy, there was still a ’20 per cent’ of his brain that was on the bravery side, but finally the words of his partner and caddy, Harry Diamond, made him see reason.

‘Just hit a wedge’, was the advice, so he gave himself 92 yards to go, which he achieved with a 15-foot slide for a birdie four – his putter was so hot this week. since his driver was cold.

When his ball disappeared for a 68 and a one stroke win, the place blew up and so did he.

“It was a battle all day,” he said. ‘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 still have a few things to work on. I really feel like I haven’t been at my best all week, but I showed a lot of mental toughness.”

Sweeter no doubt because it was Reed. Sweeter no doubt for the role McIlroy has taken on as the chief critic of the LIV circuit that Reed represents.

Just as he thrived in that role in 2022, the Northern Irishman would appear to pick up where he left off in 2023, given this was the first time in 14 seasons as a professional that he had won his opening match. With the constant question of when he will win his next major, this year seems as good a bet as any.

But he knows this tournament was tough to win, especially since Reed had briefly led their respective nine holes by one shot.

Had the 2018 Masters champion not bogeyed on the 16th, his only miss on the card, it might have been a different story, and one that would have brought us back to a bizarre incident on the 17th on Sunday, when his ball appeared on one. tree but he claimed to have found it in another.

In the broader storms around LIV and Reed, maybe it was just another day. For McIlroy, it was a 36th professional title and a strong start to a great season on and off the field.