Tyrrell Hatton bags Dubai win as Rory McIlroy finishes joint fourth; Tom McKibbin ties for sixth

Tyrrell Hatton posted an impressive final round to secure victory at the Dubai Desert Classic, while Rory McIlroy's late charge saw the County Down man finish in a tie for fourth place.

Fellow Holywood golfer Tom McKibbin finished a shot further back following a final round 69 to finish in a share for sixth place.

Hatton took the win following a final hole par to finish on 15 under par, edging out New Zealand's Daniel Hillier, who needed a closing eagle to force a playoff.

The Kiwi overshot the green with his approach over the water but got up and down for birdie, while Hatton played 18 conservatively to take the par and seal the victory.

McIlroy only enjoyed an outside chance of making it three in a row in Dubai at the start of his round and hit an early bump in the road with a bogey five on the second hole.

But from there, the four-time major winner played flawlessly, gaining two shots on the front nine before starting the back nine with back-to-back birdies.

FINAL LEADERBOARD

Birdies on 13 and 15 put McIlroy in the mix down the closing straight, but he failed to capitalise on the driveably 17th, unable to get up and down from the greenside rough, settling for par.

An eagle at the last would have sent a signal back down the course to the leaders, and while McIlroy reached the par five green in two, his eagle putt was slightly underhit and just fell below the hole for a tap-in birdie to finish on 12 under, three shots, in the end, behind Hatton's winning tally.

McKibbin started the day two shots better off that his compatriot McIlroy, and four behind Hatton, and he got off to a great start with birdies on the second and third holes, however, the two shots were handed back before the turn.

A strong start to the back nine saw