Abu Dhabi: Rory McIlroy came up just short again in his quest to win his first Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on Sunday, but had the consolation of prevailing in his much-hyped desert duel with world number one Jordan Spieth.
McIlroy’s tied-for-third-place finish – like Sweden’s Henrik Stenson he finished two shots behind winner Rickie Fowler on 14 under after his four-under-par 68 – means he has leapfrogged Jason Day to go second in the world rankings.
Spieth, making his Middle East debut at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club, matched McIlroy’s closing 68 but finished three shots back in joint fifth with Germany’s Marcel Siem on 11-under.
Although downcast about going close again in in the UAE capital – he has finished runner-up four times here – McIlroy said he could “take plenty away” from the tournament.
“Walking up the 16, I saw Jordan on the board at 11-under,” McIlroy, who earlier in the day carded a third-round 70 following the considerable fog delays on days two and three, said. “I just wanted to get a few more world ranking points than him and make up a little bit of ground on him. I’ve been able to do that and leapfrog Jason [Day], so that’s great and I can take away a lot of positives.”
McIlroy added that Abu Dhabi event “could be the tournament that I just can’t quite master”, but he feels in good shape ahead of the Dubai Desert Classic in two weeks.
“It’s a busy schedule that I’ve got going into the US Masters. I would have liked to have started the season just that little bit better with a win, but I feel my performance here, I can take plenty away from it and build on it and build gradually up towards the first major of the season at Augusta.”
Spieth, meanwhile, said he “didn’t feel great with the way I scored” and said he felt “beat up mentally and physically” following a globetrotting spell which will see him competing at this week’s Singapore Open.
“I didn’t get in a rhythm, and when I did have chances, they just wouldn’t go,” the 22-year-old Texan lamented. “Just a little off on the read or the speed, one of the two. Sometimes that happens during a week, and we kind of grinded out eight-under on the weekend in what really could have been something special but it also could have been worse.”
“I certainly see this event being part of my schedule again.” he added. “The strength of the field is not matched anywhere else with perfect weather.”
The ubiquitous question of whether he would prefer to retain his US Masters title or claim a gold medal when golf makes its debut at the Rio Olympics this summer provoked an ambivalent reply from Spieth. “I’m not sure. Both. I know what a green jacket feels like, but I don’t know about the impact of an Olympic gold medal.”
He also believes it is too early to say whether the new world number four Fowler can maintain his imperious form and establish a ‘big three’ rivalry, although he admitted: “What Rickie is doing is fantastic.”
