Rory McIlroy was angry with himself after he surrendered a two-shot lead on the back nine to finish second at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
He began the day a shot behind Li Haotong but had caught the Chinese by the turn and a two-shot swing on the tenth put him in pole position for a third title at Emirates Golf Club.
However a bogey on the 11th, par on the par five 13th and then a three-putt bogey on the 16th then meant his birdie-birdie finish was not enough as Li birdied four of his last six holes including a 12 footer at the last, to win by one shot at a record -23. Both shot 69.
He began the day a shot behind Li Haotong but had caught the Chinese by the turn and a two-shot swing on the tenth put him in pole position for a third title at Emirates Golf Club.
However a bogey on the 11th, par on the par five 13th and then a three-putt bogey on the 16th then meant his birdie-birdie finish was not enough as Li birdied four of his last six holes including a 12 footer at the last, to win by one shot at a record -23. Both shot 69.
"From being two ahead standing on the 11th tee to being level going into 16, I just don't know," he said. It was a couple of bad shots, a couple of poor decisions, a couple of mental errors, a few tentative putts out there as well.
"I kept leaving myself in places where I couldn't really give it a run at the hole because they were downhill, downgrain, downwind. So I didn't really leave it in the best spots to be aggressive with my putts. I just wish I could get a couple of those holes back."
"However if someone had told me at the start of the year, 'you'd finish third and second your first two events', I'd say, 'yeah, I'd take that'.
Li's stunning finish under incredible pressure further cemented his reputation as one of the European Tour's great clutch performers, following on from a closing 63 at last season's Open Championship and a fourth-round 64 to win on home soil at the 2016 Volvo China Open. It is his 2nd European Tour victory.
Bryan Angus
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