Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), the world’s No. 1 in men’s golf, won the first tournament of the new year with a birdie on the last hole.
McIlroy scored 4 strokes with 5 birdies and 1 bogey in the final round of the DP World Tour (European Tour) Hero Dubai Desert Classic (total prize money: $9 million) held at the Emirates GC (par 72) in Dubai, UAE on the 30th. He reduced and recorded a total of 19 under par 269 strokes, beating Patrick Reed (18 under par 270 strokes, USA) of LIV Golf, who had been chasing after by reducing 7 strokes that day, by one stroke. In the 18th hole (par 5), which was tied with Reed, it was decisive to put a birdie putt of about 3m.
McIlroy won the US Professional Golf (PGA) Tour Playoff Final Tour Championship (September) last year and The CJ Cup (October), the first tournament of the 2022-2023 season, and then reached the top in the first tournament this year, winning 153 prize money. It won $10,000 (approximately 1.87 billion won). McIlroy, who won 23 victories on the PGA Tour, won 15 victories on the European Tour (4 major wins and 7 wins, including the World Golf Championship, overlapping). 안전놀이터
The joy was even greater because it was a thrilling victory in a famous match with Reed, who had a conflict with ‘T-gate’ in this competition. McIlroy was offended when he received a court summons from Reed’s lawyer on Christmas Eve last year, and escalated the conflict when he ignored Reed as he approached to greet him on the practice range before the tournament. As Reed turned around, it became known that he threw a tee in his pocket at McIlroy, causing fans to cub with ‘T-Gate’.
Also, in the third round of the previous day, after Reed’s tee shot on the 17th hole fell into a tree, the referee checked the ball through a telescope and doubted the authenticity of the ball over the situation in which Reed benefited. Fans laughed at Reed, calling it a ‘Tree Gate’.
After the second half, it was a great game with four joint-leaders, reversals, and reversals. While McIlroy, who started with a solo lead by 3 strokes, managed to catch the first birdie in the 9th hole (par 4), Reed reduced 3 strokes in the first half, then caught an eagle that almost became an albatross in the 10th hole (par 5) and tied the game. soared to the fore
The suffocating match between the two was split on the 18th hole. McIlroy caught a birdie on the 17th hole (par 4) and succeeded in reversing the first stroke, but the lead of the previous group caught a birdie on the 18th hole and finished as a joint lead, so the situation had to be prepared for an overtime game. In this two-on hole, McIlroy avoided the risk of his tee shot almost falling into the pond, and then made a wise choice to cut it off on the 3rd in the rough, and eventually put a birdie putt of about 3m and roared.
McIlroy said, “Today was a very difficult day mentally,” and “I fell into the water on the 18th hole on the last day of last year, and I fell into the water yesterday, so I made a different choice. That worked well.”