There were scenarios in which Rory McIlroy didn’t maintain his top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking after last weekend. Instead, the Northern Irishman reminded us all why he’s held that top spot since overtaking Scottie Scheffler in the fall.
Facing drama and rain delays, McIlroy conjured back-to-back birdies at 17 and 18 in the final round to eclipse Patrick Reed and win the Dubai Desert Classic by a single shot. It is the only time McIlroy has won his opening start in a calendar year.
Reed’s solo-second finish resulted in a jump from 90th to 57th in the world ranking.