Rory McIlroy’s victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic is by no means an indicator that he will end his agonizing wait for a Masters Green Jacket.
We only need to look back to last year to remember that his epic triumph over Patrick Reed on the Majlis course at the Emirates Club did not translate into completing a career Grand Slam.
But already, the world number two has emphatically proven that he has smoothly picked up where he left off after his victorious Ryder Cup and Race to Dubai season in 2023.
There was no decline despite a significant pause. The one-stroke triumph over Adrian Meronk last Sunday was only his third tournament since he made his greatest personal Ryder Cup contribution (four points out of five) in the fall.
Those events included competing at the DP World Tour Championship in November to claim an already assured fifth title in the Race to Dubai, then a second-place finish at the Dubai Invitational the week before that Desert Classic victory.
His free time was not wasted and the triumph he is currently savoring was perhaps the embodiment of his biggest learning from last season, which came following a missed cut at the Masters.
“I think last year at Augusta I learned a lot about myself,” McIlroy said after his well-managed final 70 gave him victory in a tournament where he trailed by 10 shots at midpoint. course.
“I’ve told this story many times now about the first green on Friday (at the Masters), and Brooks (Koepka) was on the eighth green and I saw the big leaderboard, and I was already 10 behind at that that moment.
“I was 10 behind after two days this week and I ended up winning the golf tournament. It’s huge. I feel like I’ve already learned and put a little into practice.”
McIlroy spoke last week about how proud he is of still wanting to compete and enjoying the process of constantly trying to improve.
It will be a decade without a major title if he doesn’t add one of the big titles this year to the four he already has to his name.
And as he celebrated his record fourth victory at the Desert Classic, he revealed that his ambitions remain intact from those he harbored as a child. “I wanted to do what Tiger Woods did,” he said.
“I probably won’t have the career he had, but I always look at the trophies I’ve won and my name is also on those same trophies as his.
“I know of no better way to quantify success in the game than to put your name on the trophies that people before you have put their names on.
“Whether it’s this trophy or major championship trophies or whatever. I sat here on Wednesday and talked about world golf and something like the Australian Open.
“I look at the Stonehaven Cup, and my name is there with Peter Thomson and all the legends of the game. I think it’s a very cool thing.”
It illustrates McIlroy’s drive to leave the biggest mark possible on golf history, which is why he is so desperate to win the Masters, his last major before turning 35 on May 4.
“I just think the generation is so long in golf that, you know, I played the US Open with Tom Watson but I also played the US Open with Rasmus Hojgaard, who is 52 years old. less than Tom. Watson.”
McIlroy spent his off-season working on his swing with lifelong coach Michael Bannon. He spent time on his putting with Brad Faxon, the former American Ryder Cup player, who sent him some revealing observations about his work on the green at the Dubai tournament.
The Northern Irish star also spoke at length to mental coach Bob Rotella and worked with his fitness advisor in the gym to prepare for what will be a busy first part of the year.
McIlroy plans to add additional events in his bid to find peak form for Augusta, where since 2015 he has been battling for victory that would place him alongside Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen as the only male players to have a complete set of major titles.
No one knows better than McIlroy the fickle nature of this capricious game which offers no guarantees. More challenging areas lie ahead and the talent pool is growing bigger and bigger.
Just look at what 20-year-old Nick Dunlap did at the American Express last Sunday, becoming the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991. Another star is born.
McIlroy was one such prodigy in his own precocious youth. Today, despite nearly two decades of sustained touring excellence, some observers characterize him as underperforming, lacking in bottle.
But they miss the crucial point: despite major failures, he continues to accumulate a supreme body of work over the course of an exceptional career.
This victory in the Middle East required a lot of quality and courage. His 63 on Saturday was a thrilling charge and beat the best of the rest by four shots on a tricky third day.
Then on Sunday, McIlroy kept his foot on the accelerator in a bogey-free outside half at three-under par, allowing him to navigate a disjointed final sequence and keep Meronk and third-round leader Cameron at bay Young.
He would have loved such composure at last year’s US Open, which eluded him at Los Angeles Country Club and at St Andrews the year before when he couldn’t keep up with Cam’s triumphant charge Smith.
And he certainly would have wanted such peace and quiet when he was spooked by Koepka’s lead at Augusta last year.
This kind of setback brings back baggage that needs to be banished to a long-forgotten closet. One that proves very difficult to locate.
Maybe this will be the year he finds it, maybe not. But already in 2023 he has a useful base thanks to this victory.
Only time will truly tell if he can realize his ultimate Masters dream and it’s no surprise that he’s not getting carried away even though he’s now approaching 40 professional titles – a very impressive haul by most accounts. criteria.
He would probably exchange several for the one he wants the most. But McIlroy’s schedule at the start of the year is now fully mapped out and all roads lead to Augusta.
“I still have some big events coming up,” McIlroy said. “But I think by this week in April, at least part of my mind will be devoted to absolutely getting ready for there.”