Rory McIlroy tames the desert again to defend Dubai title

Rory McIlroy hit a closing 71 to retain his Hero Dubai Desert Classic title, and claim a fourth overall victory in the desert.

McIlroy put himself in the mix on Saturday with a blistering 63, this after beginning round three 10 shots adrift, and played steady golf this morning to finish on 14 under par, one clear of closest challenger Adrian Meronk.

The victory, worth a whopping €1.4m, was built on a solid front nine where he birdied the second, eight and nine holes to reach the turn in 32, overhauling overnight leader Cameron Young who finished third.

That moved him to 15 under and looking comfortable three clear of the chasing pack. But he wobbled on the 13th, finding rough out left before dropping his first shot of the day on a hole he birdied in each of his first three rounds.

McIlroy then steadied the ship with consecutive pars and when Meronk bogeyed 16, the gap was back out to two. The former world number one found sand on the same hole, but a delightful chip meant he came away with a par.

Meronk birdied the last to narrow the gap but it meant that McIlroy only needed to par the last to take the title, which he did.

It's a first tournament victory for the Hollywood man since July's Genesis Scottish Open triumph at the Renaissance Club.

Final leaderboard

"I didn't really think about that [the comeback] during the course of the round," McIlroy told Sky Sports afterwards.

"I thought the way the course was trending, two 67s would really have a chance and the 63 put me in a great position.

"I thought on Friday night 10 under for the weekend I'd have a really good chance and I shot 11 under and won by one.

"It was a really tricky day, it was hard to get it close and make a ton of birdies. The pivotal moment came on eight and