If Rory McIlroy wants to emulate the story of Ernie Els and Sir Nick Faldo, he will have to repeat his own story here at the Desert Classic.
Halfway through this event last year, McIlroy was 10 shots off the pace and took the upper hand; this time, he is “only” nine years old. If the world number 3 can produce a similarly stunning weekend charge, then he would become the first player to win the same regular DP World Tour event three times in a row since Els at the Heineken Classic.
Before the Big Easy, Colin Montgomerie achieved the “threepeat” – as the Americans like to call it – at the BMW PGA Championship, while in 1993 Faldo achieved the feat at the Irish Open.
Ian Woosnam is the only other hero to score a hat-trick – with the Welshman riding his stride at the Monte Carlo Open – making him quite a short list to join. Of course, McIlroy is more than worthy of the undertaking and on a Majlis track where he has already won four times, he knows he is fully capable. If he can putt, of course.
“I would say the winning score is not going to be much higher than the leader right now, especially given the way the course is going to play out this weekend,” he said after a second-round 71 which brought it to three cents. “The greens will continue to get a little firmer and getting them into the fairway and hitting a lot of greens will be very important. If I can focus on that over the weekend, make a few putts, I think I still have a good chance.
With Jon Rahm missing the cut – the Spaniard shot a 77 with two double bogeys – and Viktor Hovland, in dire shape, also making an early exit, McIlroy will delight sponsors if he can, at the very least, put his big name in the rankings. But there are 32 players ahead of the 35-year-old and with Tyrrell Hatton tied for third at eight under after a 65, McIlroy has plenty of quality to get around.
And the leader is not a loudmouth. Scotsman Ewen Ferguson has won three times in the last three years and it’s fair to say the confident 28-year-old is no stranger to Emirates Golf Club.
Ferguson lives in Dubai – in fact, his apartment overlooks the course – and the crowd greeted his chance shot on the par-five 18th with a huge roar. The world number 141’s second shot was far too long, but it hit the stand and bounced to within five feet of the pin to set up the unlikeliest of eagles for a total of 65 and 12 under. Local knowledge, indeed.