The World No. 2 was making consecutive birdies on Sunday and was about to take a lead but a devastating three-putt on the 14th barred him from reaching first place. This blasphemy landed Rory McIlroy in second place, behind Tommy Fleetwood.
Fleetwood retained his leadership on the scoreboard with five birdies on Sunday. On the other hand, McIlroy, who seemed to be threatening Fleetwood for a while with birdies on the 11th, 12th, and 13th, missed out on the 14th hole and couldn’t clinch the title. But what happened on the 14th hole?
Rory McIlroy’s Short-Game Skills Flop On the 14th Hole
Rory McIlroy is one of those golfers known for his long-range shots with his driver, but probably the Irishman should have buckled up better for the DP World Tour’s tricky course that challenged his short-game skills and hackled him.
Rory was leading the game after Thursday until Fleetwood won the place-over. Since Friday, both golfers have been closely following each other and trying to seal the first place. As the game reached Sunday, McIlroy’s consecutive birdies from hole 11 made it look like he was approaching a fourth one on the 14th, but a two-foot shot left him disappointed. He took the first shot and missed the hole. He changed the side and took another shot to repeat the previous mistake. Then, on the third attempt, he finally holed it.
A three putt from two feet for Rory.@TommyFleetwood1 takes the solo lead.#DubaiInvitational pic.twitter.com/hnkgCMpp18
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 14, 2024
McIlroy quickly picked up his game, carded two more birdies, and was approaching for a third one on par-4, 18th, only to miss it to an over-par. Finally, Fleetwood secured his victory in style and the Irishman had to settle for a runner-up place.
Next week, Rory McIlroy will be playing at the Dubai Desert Classic and he has won this event three times in his career. Hence, a lot is expected from the golfer in the United Arab Emirates and if he clinches this trophy, he will become the four-time winner of the event.
