Rory Works on the Driving

Rory McIlroy has admitted he will once again be working on his driving ahead of his return to competitive action at the Dubai Desert Classic next week.

The US Open champion came within a whisker of starting his season with a victory last weekend but finished as runner-up in Abu Dhabi, just one shot behind eventual winner Robert Rock.

His near miss was made all the more galling given that McIlroy was handed a two-shot penalty for wiping sand off the fringe of a green during Friday's second round.

The 22-year-old felt there were plenty of positives to take from his performance but has admitted there is still work for him to do off the tee.

McIlroy hit less than 50 percent of fairways in Abu Dhabi but feels he is heading in the right direction with his driver.

"(I'll) work on still the same things that I was working on coming into (last) week, a little bit of posture, trying to get the club in the right position on the way back," he explained.

Big improvement

"(In Abu Dhabi) I improved off the tee every day. (On Sunday) I didn't miss a fairway until the 11th I think, and that was a big improvement and something I still have to work on."

The Ulsterman will skip this week's European Tour event in Qatar, but will be back in action in Dubai the following week and is already looking forward to competing.

The event holds special memories for him as it was the scene of his maiden professional triumph back in 2009.

This time around he will start as favourite for the title and is determined to arrive with his game in top condition.

"Yeah, really looking forward to a course I've done well at before and great memories," McIlroy added.

"Looking forward to getting another week's worth of practise and coming out and trying to challenge for that title and my first title of the year."

Clarke and Mulrooney Part

Darren Clarke has parted company with caddie John Mulrooney, the man with whom he won The Open Championship at Sandwich last July.

Clarke took the decision after missing the halfway cut at the Abu Dhabi Championship over the weekend.

The Ulsterman finished well down the field after following a level-par opening 72 with a disappointing 81 in Friday's second round.

The 43-year-old has struggled for form since his memorable major triumph and has not managed a top-10 finish since that victory at Royal St George's.

Clarke's management stable, ISM, have insisted that the split is amicable and report that he will now spend the next few weeks considering Mulrooney's replacement.

Clarke's next competitive outing will be the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona at the end of February and he will hope to have a new man in place for that event.

Mulrooney took over as Clarke's full-time caddie after the former Ryder Cup player won the Iberdrola Open in Majorca in May of last year.

One That Got Away for McIlroy

McIlroy was runner-up for the second year running, but will remember this one for the incident when he brushed sand away just off the green midway through his second round, leading to a costly two shot penalty.

The most dramatic finish, however, came from Graeme McDowell. 

He holed-in-one on the 12th - Sergio Garcia and Jose Manuel Lara did it in the first round - chipped in on the next and then closed with two more birdies.

That does not tell the full story. The Ulsterman then thinned his third shot at the 18th and, after hitting the grandstand behind the green, the ball rebounded some 30 feet to within six feet of the flag.

Like McIlroy, McDowell was left to rue something earlier in the week. He went in the water and double-bogeyed the 17th on day one after his driver broke.

It was Robert Rock though that held off 14-time Major winner Tiger Woods and US Open Champion Rory McIlroy to claim a sensational victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

With the theme tune to the "Rocky" films being sung by fans - many of them having witnessed England's cricket collapse the day before - the 34 year old came up with a true knock-out performance.

Only 117th in the Official World Golf Ranking at the start of the week, Rock said after his one stroke triumph over McIlroy: "I really can't believe I have done that today." 

"I was just very happy to be playing with Tiger. That's a special honour in itself."

While he shot a two under par 70 to finish 13 under, Woods scrambled his way to a 72 and instead of recording a second successive victory on the comeback trail had to settle for a share of third place with Graeme McDowell and Thomas Björn.

"I was just a touch off," said the former World Number One, who hit only one fairway on the back nine and only six greens in regulation all day.

"But Robert played great. He made a couple of key up-and-downs and a couple of beautiful iron shots down the stretch."

McIlroy's closing birdie for a 69 looked as if it might give him a play-off when Rock's drive down the same hole headed towards the lake.

It stopped short of the water, but in the hazard amongst rocks and plants and, with a two shot lead, he wisely elected to take a penalty drop.

Short of the green in three, his pitch came up 25 feet short and still left him with work to do, but after holing birdie putts from ten and six feet at the 14th and 16th his touch did not let him down and two putts completed the greatest day of his career.

For years Rock worked in the Swingers Golf Centre in Tamworth, "selling Mars bars and watching Tiger win Majors".

He was 26 before he made it onto The European Tour and 31 when he finally tasted success at last year's BMW Italian Open.

"It's been a steady progression and I've worked hard, but I didn't think this would happen," he said.

In addition to Woods all the world's top four were present. Number One Luke Donald came 48th, while Lee Westwood's 17th place means McIlroy regains second spot off his former stablemate.

Every one of Woods' 14 Major titles came with him at least sharing the lead with a round to go and this was only the ninth time in his entire career that he has not gone on to victory from such a position.

He was odds-on to come out on top again when he birdied the second and third, but Rock matched both of them and the American's bogeys at the next two separated them.

After a seven foot birdie on the sixth the gap was three, but by the turn it was back to one. Rock ran up a six at the long eighth and Woods birdied the next.

That made him favourite again, but a bogey six on the 582 yard tenth was his only deviation from par on the back nine.

There was still a chance Rock might crack after bogeying the 13th, but his response was superb and after the scare down the last the €347,024 first prize became his.

Results

Could Have Been Rory

Rory McIlroy would be sharing top spot if he had not incurred his two-stroke penalty for brushing sand away off the ninth green in his second round. However a 68 on Saturday kept him firmly in the hunt.

Joint leade Tiger Woods joked that "it will be nice to get rid of him" after playing with McIlroy three days in a row - and also for nine holes of practice.

Pádraig Harrington had a score of 72 and it dropped the Dubliner from 11th to 27th.

Graeme McDowell made progress with a 68 that left him on seven under, but the leading Irish man yesterday, Gareth Maybin, stayed on six under after a 72.

Michael Hoey improved from two over to one under with a 69.

Tiger Woods was ideally placed to put down a huge marker for the season after charging into a share of the lead with a day to go at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Having ended 2011 with his first victory for over two years, Woods has a great chance to start 2012 with another.

Thanks to a superb bogey-free display, the 14-major winner is on 11-under-par and tied with England’s Robert Rock, who ensured it was not all about the American when he birdied the final two holes for a matching 66.

They are two in front of four Ryder Cup players — Scot Paul Lawrie, Swede Peter Hanson, Italian Francesco Molinari and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy.

The 22-year-old US Open champion would of course be sharing top spot if he had not incurred his two-stroke penalty for brushing sand away off the ninth green in his second round, but a 68 kept him firmly in the hunt.

Woods joked that “it will be nice to get rid of him” after playing with McIlroy three days in a row — and also for nine holes of practice.

Delighted though he was with his position, the former world number one was not inclined to scream “I’m back” afterwards.

Instead Woods told Sky Sports: “I was just kind of consistent. I didn’t do a whole lot wrong, I didn’t do a whole lot right. Six birdies piled up, but I was methodically going about my business and grinding.

“This course is playing difficult enough. You can make birdies, but you can go the wrong way quickly. I’ve still got to post a good number.”

There were an amazing 24 changes at the top of the leaderboard during the day and at one point eight players were locked together.

Woods made himself the man to catch, however, when he followed his front nine of 34 with further birdies on the 10th, 12th and 14th.

Another came when he found the green in two and two-putted the 567-yard last, but Rock fired in an approach to five feet on the 17th and closed with an eight-footer.

The 34-year-old’s only European Tour victory in well over 200 starts came at the Italian Open last season. He admitted he was thinking about the possibility of playing the final round with Woods as he entered the finishing stretch.

Less than a decade ago Rock was working at the Swingers Golf Centre in Tamworth.

“I was selling Mars bars, chatting to my mates, watching him (Woods) winning majors,” he said. “I was keeping an eye on the leaderboard wondering if I had a chance to play with him. It’s cool — I can’t wait. Maybe not many opportunities will come my way.”

McIlroy said: “I’ve seen up close how Tiger is playing and I feel if I play my best I’ve got a great chance. It will be a bit different not playing with him. Tiger will bring most of the crowd and maybe I can go quietly about my business.”

Hanson had a best-of-the-week 64, Molinari had a 66 and Lawrie a 68 as he continued to enjoy himself in the desert. Last month the former Open champion, now 43, was runner-up to Alvaro Quiros at the Dubai World Championship.

World number one Luke Donald managed only a 73 after setting off with three birdies in four holes and now finds himself down in joint 55th place on level par.

Among those who overtook him was second-ranked Lee Westwood, whose 68 came a day after he was struggling with a neck problem.

Halfway leader Thorbjorn Olesen’s 71 dropped him into a tie for seventh.

Maguire's and Meadow in Curtis Squad

The Ladies’ Golf Union International Selection Panel has today named a Great Britain & Ireland preliminary squad of 12 players for the 37th Curtis Cup match against the United States at The Nairn Golf Club, Scotland from June 8 to 10, 2012. 

They are: 

AMY BOULDEN (Conwy GC). Age 18. 

HOLLY CLYBURN (Woodhall Spa GC). Age 20. 

CHARLEY HULL (Woburn GC). Age 15. 

BRONTE LAW (Bramhall GC). Age 16. 

LEONA MAGUIRE (Slieve Russell GC). Age 17. 

LISA MAGUIRE (Slieve Russell GC). Age 17. 

BECKY HARRIES (Haverfordwest GC). Age 23. 

KELSEY MacDONALD (Nairn Dunbar GC). Age 21. 

PAMELA PRETSWELL (Bothwell Castle). Age 22. 

KELLY TIDY (Royal Birkdale GC). Age 19. 

STEPHANIE MEADOW (Royal Portrush GC). Age 20. 

LAUREN TAYLOR (Woburn GC). Age 17. 

First Reserve 

GEORGIA HALL (Remedy Oak GC). Age 15. 

The players, watched by team captain Tegwen Matthews and the LGU International Selection Panel, will take part in a three-day team trial over The Nairn Golf Club’s championship links from Friday to Sunday, March 23 to 25. 

The names of the players and reserves chosen for the team will be released for publication on Tuesday, March 27. 

NOTES ON PLAYERS SELECTED 

Amy Boulden, Holly Clyburn, Kelsey MacDonald, Pamela Pretswell and Kelly Tidy were the Great Britain & Ireland team of five, captained by Tegwen Matthews, who beat Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa to win the Astor Trophy (an international team match-play tournament played every four years) at Fairhaven GC, Lancashire in June 2011. 

Amy Boulden, Holly Clyburn, Kelsey MacDonald, Pamela Pretswell, Stephanie Meadow, Leona Maguire and Kelly Tidy played for GB&I in the 2010 Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe at Royal Porthcawl last June. 

Holly Clyburn, Leona and Lisa Maguire, Pamela Pretswell played in the 2010 Curtis Cup match at Essex County Club, Massachusetts. Kelsey MacDonald was first reserve, Stephanie Meadow second reserve and Amy Boulden fourth reserve for that match. 

Becky Harries is the 2011 Welsh Ladies’ (Close) Amateur Champion, beating Amy Boulden in the final. Becky won all six matches (three foursomes, three singles) for Wales in the 2011 Women’s Home Internationals at Hillside GC, Lancashire last September. Becky finished in a very creditable sixth place in the recent Spanish Charley Hull played for Europe in the 2010 Junior Solheim Cup match in Ireland and for GB & I in the inaugural Junior Vagliano Trophy match at Royal Porthcawl last June. Twins Leona and Lisa Maguire also played in the Junior Solheim Cup match, as did Lauren Taylor and Amy Boulden. Bronte Law and Georgia Hall played in the Junior Vagliano Trophy match. 

Charley Hull won the English and Welsh women’s open stroke-play titles in 2011. She was beaten finalist in the English women’s (closed) amateur championship. A couple of weeks ago she won the Harder Hall Invitational, the opening event of the Orange Blossom Tour in Florida. Bronte Law won the Scottish Under-16 girls’ open championship in 2011. 

Leona Maguire won the British, Irish and Portuguese Ladies’ Open Amateur Stroke Play Championships in 2011. Lisa Maguire won the European women’s individual title in Holland and also the Spanish Ladies’ Open Amateur match-play championship. 

Stephanie Meadow has been released by Alabama University to travel to Nairn for the team trial. Stephanie, now in her second year at university, has won four times in all on the American college circuit. 

Lauren Taylor, at 16, was the youngest ever winner of the Ladies British Open Amateur Championship (first played in 1893) at Royal Portrush GC last June. She was named the BBC Young Sports Personality of 2011.