It looked like Rory McIlroy’s to lose as he charged into the lead at the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic with six holes to play, one clear of long-time front-runner Justin Harding.
But lose it he did as a dramatic turn of events meant that it was world No. 5 Viktor Hovland who got his hands on the trophy at Emirates Golf Club on Sunday as McIlroy faltered on the last.
McIlroy was in the driving seat until his approach on the 18th — a birdie would have claimed the title — found the water and he had to settle for third spot on 11-under.
The drama was far from over by that point as Hovland still had to see of Richard Bland in a play-off, with a sublime second on the extra hole, setting him up for a tap in and a massive payday in the UAE.
It was a case of the old guard and the new on the way back down the 18th for the play-off as Hovland’s 66 had given him the clubhouse lead, followed by an anxious wait as he watched Bland match his four-round 276 with an astounding finish. A birdie-birdie on the 17th and 18th took the 48-year-old — in the form of his life — into a tie, with only McIlroy, apparently, in their way.
The Northern Irishman was either too heavy or too soft with his second into 18 and it got wet, paving the way for a dramatic showdown, which Hovland claimed with another fine birdie, ensuring his time keeping warm on the range paid off.
“This is pretty wild,” Hovland said after kissing the Dallah Trophy in front of a cheering crown on the 18th green. “Even more so as I didn’t really think this was possible going in today. I knew I had to shoot a really low number but a lot of things had to go my way and thankful that it did.
Hovland was referring to his disappointing 73 on Saturday, which he thought had taken him out of the running.
“I’m pumping right now,” he admitted after his unlikely comeback in a round that included two bogeys, six birdies and a crucial eagle on the 17th. “It’s a little bit surreal, and it’s hard to kind of calm yourself a little bit but you’ve just got to rely on kind of all the shots that you hit and just go back to kind of what you know.”
South Africa’s Harding had to settle for a tie for fifth alongside compatriot Erik van Rooyen, Poland’s Adrian Meronk, and English pair Sam Horsfield and Tyrrell Hatton.
