– Rory McIlroy has signed rounds of 70 and 71 strokes in the first two rounds of the Dubai Desert Classic. These are not records that might seem impressive, but the Northern Irishman, with these two rounds, has now played 18 consecutive rounds under par at the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club. In other words, all the rounds he has played since the 2018 edition until today.
– Moreover, the last over-par round that Rory recorded on this course was in the fourth round of the 2014 edition (74 strokes), eleven years ago. Since then, he has played 26 rounds, including the two this week, 25 of which have been under par and only one at par.
– McIlroy actually raised his level of play from tee to green significantly on Friday compared to Thursday, even though he added one more stroke in the second round. He hasn’t holed anything. He let slip at least six more than reasonable birdie chances on a course that doesn’t offer many opportunities (and will offer even fewer over the weekend, with the greens becoming even firmer). At least he holed that final birdie putt on the 18th from about two metres to keep that incredible streak of rounds under par alive.
– Rory, and let’s get into the details, as fans with good memories will recall, won this tournament last year and after 36 holes was ten strokes behind the leader and seven from second place. Today, after those same two rounds, he is nine behind the leader and eight from second place. Not every year will the stars align, of course, but a score like the 63 he delivered twelve months ago in the third round would certainly help…
– According to McIlroy‘s own calculations, who is at a total of -3, he wouldn’t even need that 63. “I would say the winning score isn’t going to be much higher than the leader’s at the moment (which is at -12), especially considering how the course will play over the weekend, and especially also considering how this golf course has behaved over the weekend in the last two years,” he explained. According to these calculations, delivering two cards of 67 on Saturday and Sunday might be enough, and we all know from experience that in Roryland, anything is possible. Absolutely anything.
– Dubai is his particular paradise, let’s not forget. McIlroy has won seven times in this emirate (three DP World Tour Championships, the circuit final, and four Dubai Desert Classics). This time it might not be enough to claim the top spot, but a top ten at Emirates Golf Club is almost an obligation for this player. The facts speak for themselves: since missing the cut in 2008, he has played eleven editions and won four, as is well known, but he has never finished outside the top ten in this time and made the top 5 on seven occasions. His average on the Majlis course in the 54 competition rounds he has played, including the two editions he played as an amateur in 2006 and 2007, is 68.92 strokes.
– In Dubai, good results fall into his lap… And €500 notes. Rory has earned more than €12.5 million in prizes in this emirate, including his performances at Jumeirah and even last year’s Dubai Invitational. With this amount, he could almost rank among the forty players with the most earnings in the history of the European circuit. Just with what he has accumulated in Dubai! Pablo Larrazábal, for example, who has just entered those top forty players on the DP World Tour’s historical earnings list, has official prize earnings of €12.7 million.
– Talking about money and prize earnings can be a bit vulgar, but it can also be quite entertaining. And surprising. If Rory were able to win this Sunday, he would be around €14 million in earnings just in this emirate, in Dubai, a very similar amount to what David Howell accumulated in the 726 DP World Tour tournaments he has played (you know: the Englishman is the one who has played the most tournaments in the history of this circuit).
– Anyway, let’s get serious again. This Saturday, there will be a second cut, as 79 players made it through on Friday, and the rule states that if 78 or more make it through, a new cut must be established. The top 65 and ties will advance to Sunday’s round. Could Rory be left out? It’s possible. But in any circumstance, considering this exceptional player, and especially in Dubai, we are much more inclined to bet that the Northern Irishman will even be in the fight for victory on Sunday. Facts are facts, until proven otherwise.
