Rory McIlroy sinks a birdie on the 18th to fend off Reed to win the Dubai Desert Classic | golf

Rory McIlroy held off a dramatic surge from Patrick Reed on the final day to win the Dubai Desert Classic for a third time on Monday.

McIlroy had started the final round – postponed to Monday due to last week’s storms in the area – four strokes ahead of the American, but Reed stormed up the rankings to join McIlroy at 17-under.

McIlroy shagged the 17th to go a shot clear before Reed, playing just ahead of the Northern Irishman, shagged the par-5 18th to level it again.

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With that, McIlroy needed a birdie in the final game to avoid a playoff. An erratic drive off the tee forced him to hang up just short of the green, and his approach shot across the water left him with a 15-foot putt for a birdie and the win. McIlroy kept his cool, rolled home the downhill putt and took the title.

This meant the prospect of a Reed-McIlroy playoff at the end of a tournament that started tied did not materialize. Reed, who plays on the Rebels’ LIV circuit, has had plenty to do in Dubai – a driving range brush with McIlroy, nicknamed Teegate, put him in the spotlight, while an incident involving a drop ball ensued after he was with His drive crashed into a tree on Sunday also caused controversy.