If not the kitchen sink, the weather gods threw everything else his way, even defying the laws of nature by spewing hailstones down in summertime; and nice guy Russell Knox turned bad boy as he did his utmost to play the role of spoil sport.
On both counts, there was failure; nothing could stop him. In this Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, there would be only one winner.
And, as the sun finally broke through after a series of weather disruptions, the galleries crowded around the 18th green on every available hillock and mound and spilled out to line the fairway behind him, there was no denying Rory McIlroy, not in his own tournament, as the 27-year-old Northern Irishman shot a final round 69 for 12-under-par 276 to win by three strokes from joint runners-up Knox and Bradley Dredge.
The one-time “Boy Wonder” has retained all the majesty and flair and exuberance of his youth but also matured into a benefactor, going as far as to donate his €666,660 prizemoney from here back to the charitable causes associated with the event.
Icing on the cake
And this victory, his 20th professional victory worldwide, was claimed with a display of shot-making that bedazzled us all. Like a maturing fine wine, McIlroy kept the best ‘til last: a five-wood approach from 256 yards to the final green that set up a tap-in eagle. Dollops of icing on the cake.
For McIlroy, a winner of four Majors and two WGCs in an honour-laden career, this victory - especially given his association as tournament host - was emotional. He had to fight back the tears walking up the 18th fairway to the green:
“It ranks up there. When all is said and done, Majors, WGCs . . . . I’d rank this up here for me personally like a WGC, just below the Majors. It’s one of the things that I wanted to sort of tick off on my CV and thankfully I’ve been able to do it. This the first, but hopefully it isn’t the last,” said McIlroy, the world number three, who finally found a way to contend and win in his national open.
For the past three appearances, one missed cut had followed another. At Carton House in 2013. At Fota Island in 2014. On home turf at Royal County Down last year. Finally, on the course designed by Arnold Palmer, McIlroy found a way; and in the best possible manner, as he produced outstanding approach shots down the stretch to close the deal, his three-wood over the river Liffey on the 16th and his five-wood to the 18th as good as anything he has ever taken from his armoury.
“Rory won it, he hit the shots he had to hit coming down the last few holes,” observed Knox afterwards.
For McIlroy, it brought back memories of when he’d first dreamed of winning an Irish Open. That was back in 2003 when - as a young amateur - he was on a plane flying into Dublin Airport after playing in the European Young Masters. As he looked down, he saw the crowds lined around the links at Portmarnock Golf Club where, ironically, thunderstorms had disrupted the final round and Michael Campbell claimed victory in a play-off that finished in fading light.
Dreaming
“I don’t know why it sticks in my head, but that’s the sort of memory that I have about the Irish Open and first really dreaming about winning (one) . . . obviously, you want to win your national open. You don’t get a chance to play in front of your home crowd very often and I haven’t played so well in front of my home crowd for a few years, and so this is very special,” said McIlroy.
He added: “It means a lot for my summer. It’s nice to get that first win of the year. I kept telling myself, kept telling anyone that would listen, my game was close. It was just a matter of everything clicking. Maybe those last three holes is the catalyst for another big summer.
“I really feel like my game is in good enough shape to kick on from here and to challenge in the three final majors, and obviously everything else we have to play for this year, Olympics, Ryder Cup, Race to Dubai, FedExCup.”
Really, all to play for going into the meat of the season. And McIlroy – who will meet up Monday with the Olympic-bound Ireland hockey team and the Euro16-bound Northern Ireland soccer squad at Carton House – can cherish this win and look ahead with even greater anticipation to his own busy schedule.
