Tour News

McIlroy cruises to record-tying win in Dubai

Published

11 years ago

Feb 1, 2015

Never really threatened on Sunday, Rory McIlroy bettered his competitors by three strokes at the Dubai Desert Classic for his first win of 2015.

The Ulsterman led by four strokes entering the final round and got the job done Sunday with a 2-under-par 70. He finished at 22-under, and his 266 total tied for the lowest in the history of the tournament.

[quote_box_center]”I played a solid round of golf and did what I needed to do to keep my nose in front,” McIlroy said. “I just wanted to keep my ball in play and not really make any mistakes and try and pick off some birdies when I could on the par 5’s.”[/quote_box_center]

McIlroy didn’t press the accelerator during the final round, and there was a reason for that, he said.

[quote_box_center]”I felt like I was a little bit tentative over the first few holes but I guess we’ve seen what can happen to big leads these last few weeks with Martin (Kaymer) and Charl (Schwartzel) in Abu Dhabi and South Africa.”[/quote_box_center]

The win came at the site of McIlroy’s first professional victory in 2009.

Click here to see the clubs Rory used to win.

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Ben Alberstadt

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

6 Comments

Ronald Montesano

Feb 3, 2015 at 8:52 am

The par putt he made on 12 was the key to the round, from my perspective. Had he missed that putt, his lead would have been down to 3 and would have brought life to a number of competitors. He made another great par-saver on 17. Both were in the 15-20 feet range.

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T Nizzle

Feb 2, 2015 at 2:41 pm

He played a solid round of golf and did what he needed to do to keep his nose in front. He just wanted to keep his ball in play and not really make any mistakes and try and pick off some birdies when he could on the par 5’s

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Al

Feb 2, 2015 at 1:38 pm

If Omega runs that commercial one more time, I’m taking hostages.

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- Jafar
  
  Feb 2, 2015 at 3:14 pm
  
  or you could be “sitting in the hall of fame!”….. “and the worlds gonna know you name”
  
  Reply Report comment
Booger

Feb 2, 2015 at 10:30 am

I think rory has a chance to be the best ever and beat jack’s major record

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Golfraven

Feb 1, 2015 at 2:44 pm

Really solid #1 performance for Rory in the past weeks. Can’t believe he was top 2 in all last 7 appearances. I wish my tournament record was as good.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 PGA Championship

Published

2 days ago

May 11, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is on site for the second major of 2026: The PGA Championship from Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

The tournament’s location, just outside Philadelphia, and its status as a major championship mean GolfWRXers are in for a treat: WITBs from a strong field, custom gear celebrating the PGA Championship, and the rich culture of the City of Brotherly Love — we have noted a relative absence of cheesesteak-themed items thus far this week, but most of the rest of the usual suspects are well represented.

Check out links to all our photos below.