14 January 2024 , 16:48
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Rory McIlroy once again fell short on the final day of a tournament as Tommy Fleetwood claimed the Dubai Invitational, and endured a nightmare on the final hole as his tee shot ended up bobbling into the water.
The 34-year-old has experienced several near misses at tournaments during his career, and he was on the receiving end of another heartbreaking Sunday defeat - this time in the Middle East. The Northern Irishman headed into the final round one shot off the lead, after registering five birdies across the back nine on Saturday.
And disaster struck when the Northern Irishman faltered on the 14th green with a three-putt bogey from just three feet, before he had another bogey on the final hole. McIlroy then produced another bogey at the final hole, which presented a golden opportunity for Fleetwood. He produced a sensational 16-foot birdie to claim victory in Dubai - one shot ahead of a devastated McIlroy.
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The Englishman’s superb final round included five birdies and one bogey, which sealed a 67. His finest shot was perhaps his incredible bunker shot at the 10th, which set up his third birdie. McIlroy, who finished joint second with Thriston Lawrence, was happy with his overall performances but rued some mistakes that perhaps cost him victory.
"For a first week back out it was a really positive week," McIlroy told Sky Sports. "I am looking back on today - I had a tee shot in the water on the front nine, had the three putt, then the water ball on the last. First week back out, I think you have to expect some of those sloppy mistakes.
"Unfortunately for me, some of those mistakes came at the wrong time. I will reflect on it and learn from today and there is still a lot of good stuff in there, I just need to tidy up some of the edges." McIlroy was playing his first tournament since November and will soon have another chance to correct his mistakes from today’s final round.
Fleetwood defeated McIlroy by one shot to win his first title since 2022 (Warren Little/Getty Images)The four-time major winner will remain in Dubai where he will attempt to defend his Dubai Desert Classic title next week. For Fleetwood, he captured his first title since 2022 and was extremely pleased with his performance to start the new year.
"It was great. I think I was very happy with the way I played today for the large majority of the round," said Fleetwood. "I didn't hole some of the putts that I wanted to and it was great watching one of the world's best players in golf in Rory, watching the way he attacked the back nine.
"I was playing very well, I was hitting very solid. I felt very controlled in my game and it was just a case of staying patient. It feels amazing winning. I obviously don't win as much as I would like to. This is where I live and I have a lot of support and it is great to kick off the year with a good result and push on from here."