Dubai Desert Classic debrief: Master-ful McIlroy, no sign of on-course civil war and happy Hill

We pick out three talking points from the Hero Dubai Desert Classic….

Rory McIlroy celebrates after holing the winning putt in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club. Picture: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images.

McIlroy shaping up nicely for Masters

It would be wrong to say it’s the only thing that matters to Rory McIlroy, but winning The Masters to become just the sixth player to complete golf’s career grand slam would certainly cement his status among the legends of the game. He’s been unsuccessful in eight attempts thus far to add the missing link in his major career, but the prospect of that drive back up Magnolia Lane in April will already be making him feel quietly confident this could be the year. He won in Dubai for a third time despite the fact he didn’t have the best of weeks off the tee, but that’s normally his strength so he’ll not be too worried about that. It was his putting on this occasion that made the difference and, through the work he’s done with Brad Faxon on that side of the game, it would probably be right to say that his stroke is as smooth as its ever been. Oh, and McIlroy, of course, will also take encouragement heading to Augusta National from the fact that Danny Willett and Sergio Garcia both went on to claim Green Jackets the same year after winning this event in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

Praise for players on both sides of golf’s divide

Henrik Stenson shakes hands with Luke Donald, the man who replaced him as Europe's Ryder Cup captain, after playing together in the third round of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that golf’s civil war is causing players on different sides of the divide to behave inappropriately when they come together on the DP World Tour. Yes, Patrick Reed instigated ‘TeeGate’ on the range at Emirates Golf Club and some of those players will have private opinions about why friendships are now fractured. Out on the course, though, you’d never know the game has been ripped apart and both the DP World Tour and LIV Golf players should be applauded for youngsters in particular getting a real buzz from attending an event like this through the engagement of the golfers, whether it be having a ball tossed to them coming off the 18th green, signing an autograph or getting a selfie. Yes, of course, that’s not asking much, but it still matters and well done to the most important people in the game for never losing sight of that fact.

Hill no longer Scottish golf’s forgotten man

He’d become Scottish golf’s forgotten man, but not any more. Calum Hill is back and, though maybe not with a bang, a tie for 13th - his best finish in a Rolex Series event - was just the early confidence boost he’d have been looking for in 2023. Hill had just landed his maiden DP World Tour win and was on the verge of securing a spot in the 150th Open when an insect bite that led to a nerve problem left him in a dark place last year, when he only teed up in three events. It probably felt like starting all over again and a Rolex Series double-header in the UAE must have felt like being thrown in at the deep end. But, on the evidence of his Dubai display in particular, the man who has a robotic move as part of his pre-putt routine looks intent on making up for lost time over the past 15 months.