January 21, (THEWILL) – World number two Rory McIlroy staged a remarkable comeback at the 2024 Dubai Desert Classic, overturning a 10-shot deficit to capture his fourth title in the prestigious European Tour event. Starting the final round well off the pace, the Northern Irishman turned on the style on Sunday, making two massive birdie putts on the eighth and ninth holes to grab the lead.
While overnight frontrunner Cameron Young struggled to regain his form over the closing stretch, McIlroy kept his composure to sign for a two-under-par 70 and post a 14-under winning total. His fourth Dubai Desert Classic trophy sees McIlroy surpass Ernie Els as the most successful player in the tournament’s 35-year history.
The win also marks an ideal start to McIlroy’s defence of his DP World Tour Rankings crown and bid for a sixth tour victory. Reflecting on his start to the 2024 season, he said: “It’s a great start to the season. I started well last year with the win here. A couple of little things still to work on but these weeks are great. You learn a ton from them and obviously, it’s great to get the competition and come out on top as well.”
Poland’s Adrian Meronk once again gave a demonstration of his talent by snatching second place, while American Young had to settle for third in his search for a maiden elite title.
In the wider tournament picture, Chilean LIV signee Joaquin Niemann claimed a top-five finish alongside Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal and Canada’s Aaron Cockerill. McIlroy now heads the DP World rankings as the tour’s leading players gear up for the International Swing.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
