Rory McIlroy says opening three rounds gave him 'a bit too much to do' as Tyrrell Hatton claims Hero Dubai Desert Classic victory
Rory McIlroy conceded he gave himself too much to do after his bid for a third successive Hero Dubai Desert Classic crown fell short.
The Northern Irishman carded a final round 66 at Emirates Golf Club, meaning he finished three shots behind winner Tyrrell Hatton.
The final round score took him to 12 under for the week, with his tied-fourth finish representing his 11th consecutive top-10 in this event, a run stretching back to his victory in 2009.
"I probably just left myself a bit too much to do after three days. I had chances, and I was burning the edges,” McIlroy said.
“I felt like I putted pretty well without anything going in and then today, didn't really feel like I played that differently the way I played the last few days.
"I just held a couple of putts and made a couple of good up-and-downs when I had to. I feel like I got progressively better as the week went on, which bodes well for obviously the next few weeks."
When asked about he can take from the week moving forward for the rest of the season, McIlroy replied: “Probably just a little bit of game management. I think when you take a few weeks off and you come back to play like a really good tournament setup like this, I look at some flags on greens and like, whoa, that's quite a bit further to the right than I thought it would be or that's quite a bit further to the left.
“I think playing a week like this, it sort of gives me a good appreciation for what I need to do the next few weeks."
Ryder Cup star Hatton went into the final round one behind New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier at Emirates Golf Club but his three-under-par 69 and 15-under total proved enough to claim a record-equalling fifth Rolex Series title.
After a tense back nine, the decisive moment came when Hatton hit a brilliant wedge approach to the 16th that set up a tap-in birdie to send him two shots clear.
There was still time for a few jitters on the 18th, where Hatton’s conservative approach saw him leave a five-footer for par, which Hillier piled pressure on by making a nine-footer for birdie before his opponent converted to avoid a play-off.
Fellow Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin finished tied-6th on -11 after a final round of 69.