McIlroy eyes historic title defence in Dubai

Dubai Rory McIlroy will be chasing record back-to-back title triumphs when Northern Ireland's rising star returns to defend his title at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, to be held at the Emirates Golf Club from February 1-7.

Since the inception of the longest-running European Tour event in the region in 1989, no golfer has successfully defended his title although Ernie Els (thrice) and Tiger Woods (twice) have the distinction of winning the title more than once.

Mature well beyond his years, McIlroy showed he possessed nerves of steel when he won the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic by one shot. Watched by thousands of fans and his parents, the Hollywood hero produced a great up-and-down from a greenside bunker on the closing hole to seal his first victory on the European Tour since turning pro on September 19, 2007.

Comparisons with Tiger Woods also dominated the headlines during the week with Mark O'Meara, his playing partner in the first two rounds, claiming McIlroy was a better striker of the ball at 19 than Tiger Woods was.

Best player

Tiger himself has identified McIlroy as the future world No 1. "He has all of the components to be the best player in the world, there's no doubt. It's just a matter of time and experience," said Woods — McIlroy's childhood hero — during the CA Championship.

Since his maiden win in Dubai, McIlroy, now ranked ninth in the world, has been steadily climbing the ladder of success. In the 2009 World Golf Championships he was a quarter finalist in the Accenture Matchplay, finished tied 20th at the CA Championship and was 4th at the HSBC Champions.

The Northern Irishman also played well in the Majors and was tied third at the US PGA, tied 10th at the US Open, tied 20th at the Masters and tied 47th at The Open Championship after opening with a tidy 69.

In the season-ending climax at the Dubai World Championship McIlory finished third behind Lee Westwood and Ross McGowan and this gave him second place in the Race to Dubai behind eventual winner Westwood.

"I expect a lot of myself. I put myself under the most pressure, because I want to do well," said McIlroy ahead of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. "I don't really let what people say affect my game. As long as I can live up to my own expectations, I am doing okay," said McIlroy, the youngest player ever to make it to the top-20 of the World Golf Rankings.

"It felt great to win my first title in Dubai. Of all the places to have my maiden win, Dubai would have been my first choice. I love Dubai. My sponsors [Jumeirah] are based in Dubai and I have made so many friends there," said the Northern Irishman who will share time on the PGA and European Tours in 2010.

Mohammad Juma Bu Amim, vice-chairman and CEO of golf in DUBAi — the promoters and organisers of the $2.5 million (Dh9.18 million) Omega Dubai Desert Classic — said: "Rory may be just 20, but his achievements to date are hugely impressive. He has the game and charisma to be golf's next big star, if he is not already one.

"If you look at his form — eight top 10 finishes on the European Tour in 2009 — Rory stands a good chance to defend his title in Dubai. I wish him all the best."

Golf in DUBAi is backed by Omega as the title sponsor and Dubal (Dubai Aluminium) as the sponsor while BMW, CNN, Emirates Airline, Emirates NBD, Gulf News, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Jumeirah Hotels, MasterCard and Wasl are co-sponsors in its drive to showcase the emirate's vibrant golfing scene to a worldwide audience.