Rory McIlroy says what was ‘unbelievably lucky’ about his Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship final round

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Rory McIlroy will have mixed feelings about his week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship after finishing T3.

McIlroy was in contention after round three, despite finishing his day at Yas Links with a nightmare double bogey.

But he bounced back in superb fashion on Sunday at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, with McIlroy posting an eight-under 64 to finish on 21-under.

It was, however, just short of champion Paul Waring, who held off Tyrrell Hatton for a fantastic second DP World Tour title.

The former finished on 24-under after his final round 66, with the latter posting a final round 64 to end on 22-under.

How Rory McIlroy was ‘unbelievably lucky’ at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

McIlroy meanwhile was joined by Thorbjorn Olesen and Matt Wallace in tied third, with the Northern Irishman having shared his thoughts when he fired three successive birdies on the back nine.

“Yeah I played the first six in 4-under, and when I was walking to 13 tee, I said to myself, if we can play the last six in 4-under and post 21; I did what I wanted to do,” he said on Sky Sports Golf.

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“Made a good birdie on 13 and made an unbelievably lucky birdie on 14, and made another good birdie on 15 after a great drive.

“And 16 and 17 are actually playing quite tricky. Good 2-putt on 16 to give myself a chance on 17, and hit a good putt and then two good shots into the last. You know, I set myself a target with six holes to go, and I achieved that target but it might still come up one short.”

Rory McIlroy closes in on third successive Race to Dubai title

McIlroy didn’t exactly need a strong finish in Abu Dhabi to maintain a commanding lead in the Race to Dubai rankings.

He occupies top spot ahead of next week’s DP World Tour Championship, with his T3 finish at Yas Links simply furthering his lead.

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McIlroy won the Race to Dubai in 2022 and 2023, and is now on course for a sixth title, which would equal the tally of Seve Ballesteros.

The job is not done yet, but it is very likely that the four-time major champion will emerge victorious in Dubai.

Discussing his thoughts ahead of next week’s tournament, he said: “Yeah, I do feel in a good position. I saw Thriston [Lawrence] making a charge today, and I was keeping one eye on the leaderboard and looking at what he was doing. I saw he posted 20.

“Obviously I wanted to birdie the last, anyway, but I know that birdie, even if it isn’t to win the tournament this week, it obviously gives me that little bit extra of a cushion going into next week.

“Every shot counts at this moment in time, and I was glad to make the four at the last and at least give myself half a chance at this tournament this week but also give myself a little bit more of a cushion going into Dubai next week as well.”