Robert Rock holds off Tiger Woods to clinch Abu Dhabi Championship

ROBERT Rock did what he thought was impossible yesterday, beating Tiger Woods head- to-head and grabbing only his second victory in 227 European Tour events. With the theme tune to the Rocky films being sung by fans, the 34-year-old came up with a true knock-out performance.

Only 117th in the world, Rock won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship not only to get the better of Woods, but also to leave Rory McIlroy paying the price for his two-shot penalty on Friday. “I really can’t believe I have done that today,” said Rock after a nervous bogey 6 on the last hole had given him a one-stroke victory over McIlroy. “I was just very happy to be playing with Tiger. That’s a special honour in itself.”

While he shot a two-under-par 70 to finish 13 under, Woods scrambled his way to a 72 and instead of recording a second successive victory on the comeback trail had to settle for a share of third place with Graeme McDowell and Thomas Bjorn.

“I was just a touch off,” said the former world No 1, who hit only one fairway on the back nine and only six greens in regulation all day. “But Robert played great. He made a couple of key up-and-downs and a couple of beautiful iron shots down the stretch.”

McIlroy’s closing birdie for a 69 looked as if it might give him a play-off when Rock’s drive down the same hole headed towards the lake. It stopped short of the water, but in the hazard among rocks and plants and, with a two-shot lead, he wisely elected to take a penalty drop. Short of the green in three, his pitch came up 25 feet short and left him with work to do, but after holing birdie putts from ten and six feet at the 14th and 16th his touch did not let him down and two putts completed the greatest day of his career.

McIlroy was runner-up for the second year running, but will remember this one for the incident when he brushed sand away just off the green midway through his second round.

For a number of years Rock worked in the Swingers Golf Centre in Tamworth, “selling Mars bars and watching Tiger win majors”. He was 26 before he made it onto the European Tour and 34 when he finally tasted success at last year’s Italian Open. “It’s been a steady progression and I’ve worked hard, but I didn’t think this would happen,” he said.

World No 1 Luke Donald managed only 48th, while Lee Westwood’s 17th place means McIlroy regains second spot off his former stablemate.

Every one of Woods’s 14 major titles came with him at least sharing the lead with a round to go and this was only the ninth time in his career that he has not gone on to victory from such a position. The American heads home a year after his last trip to the Middle East ended with him being given a European Tour fine for spitting. He did it again by the ninth tee yesterday.