Rory McIlroy - Winner of the Dubai Desert Classic 2009

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy claimed his maiden professional win beating England's Justin Rose by one shot in the Dubai Desert Classic held at The Emirates Golf Club in Dubai.

Rory's rounds of 64, 68, 67 and 70 left him at nineteen under par with a four round total of 269. It wasn't all plain sailing for Rory and it all came down to the final shot on the last hole. His tee shot on the last was in the middle of the fairway and he elected to play short of the green leaving himself a 75 yard shot to the pin, the adrenalin kicked in and his third shot landed in the bunker at the back of the green, however, he played a majestic shot to three feet and holed the putt for the par and the win. Justin Rose gave himself a birdie chance at the 18th to force a play-off which slipped by and he had to settle for second place on eighteen under par.

"The field I've been able to beat this week - Justin, Sergio, Henrik, Paul Casey - the list goes on - to be able to compete with these guys and be able to come out on top is one of the best feelings in the world. Mum and Dad have been absolutely fantastic and this win's for them, they've done so much for me it's nice to be able to repay them in some way".

"This is my fourth time here and I love coming back to Dubai.  I've got a lot of connections here and my sponsor, Jumeirah, are from here.  And I've made a lot of friends coming here the last few years, and it's just been great being able to win in front of them ... They’ve become my family in Dubai. I’m treated so well whenever I go there and find it a great place to relax, as well as practise. I’m already looking forward to spending a lot of time practising in Dubai during the winter months".

“We’re thrilled for Rory because he’s worked so hard for his first victory on the PGA European Tour and he thoroughly deserves it.” said Apo Demirtas, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer.

“We’re certain there will be many more tournament wins to come, but this one is special because it’s a milestone in his career and it happened here in Dubai. Rory is a great ambassador for Jumeirah and, just like us, he’s breaking new frontiers. We’re very proud to be partnering with such an exciting and talented young golfer who has the world at his feet.”

Visit the Official Rory McIlroy website: www.rorymcilroy.com

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