JUST CHAMPION

Sixteen months after signing with Chubby Chandler, Rory finally ended his quest for that elusive first-title win as a professional. It was an impressive victory at the Dubai Desert Classic and a real statement of intent: he led from start to finish, but had to see off a fine field. The triumph meant that, at 19 years and 273 days, he had become the seventh-youngest winner in European Tour history, the youngest player ever to make it into the world Top 20 rankings and he was now ranked 14th in the world. Rory was also the youngest winner of the Dubai event, beating the previous best of England’s David Howell, who had won the 1999 edition when he was 23 and 236 days old.

Indeed, it was a seismic shift in Rory’s fortunes – now no one doubted his ability to win events, let alone his potential. He had come of age.

The boy wonder arrived in Dubai at the end of January 2009 believing that, yes, he was now on the brink of breaking through. As we have noted, the signs were there after he finished 2nd in the Hong Kong Open in November 2008. He had gone on to end the 2008 calendar year at 39th in the world rankings after finishing joint 3rd in the South African Open. This meant he earned the highly prestigious invitation to the US Masters in April 2009.

But it would be that first professional win at the Dubai Desert Classic, on 1 February 2009, that would really make the world of golf sit up and take notice for they now had a new young superstar in their midst. And, in an ironic twist to the tale, it would be Justin Rose whom Rory would beat in a tense final-hole standoff to secure his maiden victory, winning by just one shot – and ironic because many pundits believed, just as Rose had in the early period, that he might just struggle for success after moving from the amateur world to the professional one.

On the Thursday, Rory headed to the green to tee off in determined fashion. He knew it wouldn’t be easy but he had faith in his own ability after coming so close to winning in the previous year’s European Masters and Hong Kong Open. As the contest developed, he would have to contend with the heat, the humidity and the swirling fog, although this time he never looked like blowing it. On that first day, he shot a brilliant 8-under-par 64 to take the initiative and the lead and was one shot ahead of Robert Karlsson when play was abandoned because of poor visibility. Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano was a further stroke behind on 66, while South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel was also on 6-under, with four holes still to play.

At the press conference after that first day’s proceedings, Rory was understandably cock-a-hoop. He was asked if he was playing to win – whether he had reached the stage where he felt confident enough to admit that. To this he replied: ‘Yeah, definitely – I want to try and win. I want to try and get into contention every time I go out and play. I’ve been able to do that quite a lot the last few weeks and I wasn’t able to do it last week but hopefully with a good start this week, I’ll be able to do it again. As long as I get myself into the position on Sunday, all of those experiences will become valuable. Sooner or later, I’ll be able to win one but it’s not my main priority. My main priority is just to try to be in contention on the back nine on Sunday. If a win falls my way, then that’s fantastic, and if it doesn’t, I’ll keep trying and keep trying to put myself in the position to win.’

He admitted he had enjoyed playing the round with Mark O’Meara: ‘It was great, we had a nice chat on the way around. I used to go over and watch the World Match Play at Wentworth every year and I watched him win in ’98, when he beat Tiger. And in ’99, Monty beat him in the final, but in the morning he holed a bunker shot out of the trap on 18 and I’ve got his golf ball from it. He signed it, and I’ve still got it.’

Rory also said he still sometimes had to pinch himself, such was the joy of playing pro golf with the likes of O’Meara and Colin Montgomerie while still just 19: ‘Ten years is quite a long time in my lifetime but ten years ago, I was rolling the fairways at Wentworth watching O’Meara play. To be able to play with him now, I never thought that – [would be possible]. I always hoped it, but it’s just great to be able to play with these guys. For me, it’s so cool to be able to walk on the range and say hi to Sergio, just people that I’ve grown up watching; to be able to get to know them.’

And he was pleased with his day’s work on the green: ‘I struggled a little last week with my distance control, but I worked on it a little bit this week and I played really nicely out there. It was a great day. I want to get in contention every time I play, and I’ve been able to do that quite a lot in the last few weeks.’

Double Major champion Mark O’Meara admitted he was impressed by McIlroy’s ability – and claimed he was better than Woods at the same age. ‘It’s his mind and his heart, that’s the big element,’ O’Meara said. ‘Certainly, Rory has those qualities. Ball striking-wise at 19, he’s probably better than Tiger [Woods] was at 19. His technique, I think, is better. Certainly, Tiger has developed his game and swing over the years and made modifications to be able to hit the ball pin high but Rory is already doing that and he’s 19, so he’s already a step ahead.’

They were remarkable words of praise from a great golfer and Rory would declare himself humbled by them. ‘It’s obviously a huge compliment, probably the highest compliment I could be paid,’ he observed. ‘Just to be compared to Tiger is mind-blowing. If I can just keep doing what I’m doing, playing well, hopefully a few years down the line I might be able to compete with him.’

Before the second round in Dubai got underway he would also explain how he had started to believe that, yes, he could chalk up that first win because he had come so close to doing it in Switzerland in the Euro Masters the previous year. Rory told reporters: ‘I got a lot of confidence [from Switzerland] – it was just one good round. The first round set me off and running, and ever since then I realised how good I could be and how good I hope I can be. That was probably my turning point in my whole year.’

He added that it had also taken time for him to adjust to life on the pro circuit, that it had been ‘very difficult’ – ‘you know, playing golf week-in, week-out, travelling. When you play four weeks in a row, you just want to get home and forget about it for a week or so. But I’ve learned how to schedule properly and what events to play, and what events not to play and how to plan my season.’