McIlroy fails to break Abu Dhabi duck

Tyrrell Hatton. Picture: Getty Images

Rory McIlroy failed to match Darren Clarke's winning exploits in Hawaii when he closed with a rollercoaster 72 to finish five shots behind runaway winner Tyrrell Hatton in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

The Holywood star (31) was attempting to put down a marker by winning his season-opener for the first time in his career, just hours after Clarke clinched victory in back to back starts on the PGA Tour Champions.

But while the world number six led by a shot overnight from Hatton in an event where he had already racked up eight-top five finishes in 10 appearances, he had to settle for third after an erratic performance in the post-lockdown Covid-19 era.

In the end, it was Hatton— the star of the European Tour's most recent social media hit video "The Angry Golfer" — who was laughing all the way to the bank with a cheque for €1,097,000 after he conjured a bogey-free, six-under under 66 to win his fourth Rolex Series event by four shots from Australian Jason Scrivener on 18-under par, taking a giant step towards a second Ryder Cup appearance.

"I'm definitely pinching myself, it's just very surreal to be that high in the world rankings," Hatton said after his fourth win in his last 20 starts looked set to catapult him from ninth to fifth in the world. "I'm struggling to find the words to put it across, but I'll just say it is very cool to be where I am at the moment."

McIlroy was the hot favourite to end his near 15-month victory drought when he birdied the second and third to double his overnight lead.

But he continued his inconsistent streak of the last seven months, missing key putts and tee shots at crucial times.

His problems began when he three-putted the short fourth, then bogeyed the par-five eighth to fall behind after Hatton had drawn level with a two at the dangerous par-three sixth.

The title race was effectively settled around the turn when Hatton holed a 30 footer for birdie at the ninth, made an outrageous 35 footer over a hump in the green for an unlikely birdie the 10th and then got a lucky bounce into light rough at the 11th, where McIlroy bunkered his approach shot from heavy rough and made bogey.

"I thought I was in good position on 10 and Tyrrell was outside of me, makes that putt for birdie, and then I can't make mine for eagle and that was a huge sort of momentum-keeper for him," McIlroy said. "Then I bogeyed the next, and after that, it was sort of hard to get back into it."

Set to play the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines this week, McIlroy added: "I thought for the most part of the week, my short game and my putting was good. I scrambled well. Had some pretty good approach shots, especially last night coming down the last few holes."

Complaining of inconsistency in his swing, he added: "I don't feel like I played great this week. Felt like I was managing my game a bit. Nice to get a competitive week under my belt and see where my game is and what I need to do to keep on improving."

Hatton went on to birdie the 13th to extend his lead to four shots, and when he birdied the 16th, where McIlroy made bogey after airmailing the green with a wedge, his nearest rival was Scrivener, who closed with a 66 to finish second on 14-under and win €710,175.

McIlroy birdied the par-five 18th to finish third on 13-under (€407,158) while Pádraig Harrington's 73 left him tied for 62nd on three over (€17,426).