Rory McIlroy at Omega Dubai Desert Classic 2015: Daily Score, Leaderboard, More

Rory McIlroy won his first tournament of the year at the 2015 Omega Dubai Desert Classic, a competition which had fallen at a difficult time for the Northern Irishman.

The world No. 1 is currently embroiled in a difficult legal battle with former management company Horizon Sports, as reported by Derek Lawrenson of the Daily Mail. While he's due in court after the Dubai meet, McIlroy kept his focus during the tournament and proved why he is one of the sport's greats.

Below, we provide you with updates on the 25-year-old's progress through the competition and tell you how he won.

Day 4 Recap

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Rory McIlroy captured the Dubai Desert Classic with a steady final round after doing the hard work in the previous three days of play.

The Northern Irishman hit a conservative round of 70 on Day 4, but it was enough to take the title comfortably.

The European Tour congratulated McIlroy on his win and confirmed the champion:

McIlroy shot three birdies on his final day of play, which saw the player take a cautious and controlled approach to proceedings. A bogey on the seventh was the only blight on his scorecard. 

But despite the caution, McIlroy showed his power on the sixth hole, as highlighted by the European Tour:

No one really came close to McIlroy on Sunday, and the champion played with the great experience he has now earned over the many years at the top.

The win elevated McIlroy alongside some of European golf's true legends, as highlighted by the Golf Channel's Justin Ray:

Here is the final day's scorecard for McIlroy, as well as the final leaderboard: 

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	4	4	5	3	4	4	3	4	4
Result	Par	Par	Birdie	Par	Par	Par	Bogey	Par	Par
Par	5	3	4	5	4	3	4	4	5
Result	Birdie	Par	Par	Birdie	Par	Par	Par	Par	Par

Position	Player	Overall	Round 4 Score
1	Rory McIlroy	-22	70
2	Alex Noren	-19	65
3	Stephen Gallacher	-16	69
T4	Martin Kaymer	-15	64
T4	Gary Stal	-15	68
T4	Stephen Gallacher	-15	70
T4	Bernd Wiesberger	-15	70
T4	Andy Sullivan	-15	73
T4	Morten Madsen	-15	69
T9	Thomas Aiken	-14	70
T9	Graeme McDowell	-14	70

Day 3 Recap

McIlroy stayed in control atop the leaderboard on Saturday. He made serene work of the course, routinely hitting par and registering six birdies.

McIlroy added a flourish late on with some spectacular golf at the 17th. But he was at his best over the first half of the course, reaching the turn in 30.

That meant McIlroy ended Day 3 still four shots in front of the chasing pack, a lead he established at the penultimate hole. McIlroy hit a significant birdie at the par-four 17:

That snapped an unwelcome streak for McIlroy:

He set up his birdie chance on 17 with an impressive tee shot. Here is a highlight of the key swing:

That long, curving and angled drive positioned McIlroy to make quick work of the hole. It was a rare flourish to a day that was mostly marked out by McIlroy's efficiency.

His overall scorecard showed he hit par on 12 of 18 holes. Having opened a lead over his rivals, he ensured he played to the course to limit errors.

He seemed to hit his peak over the first half of the course. In fact, McIlroy struck his way to personal milestone:

Here's what McIlroy's full scorecard for the competition's third day looks like:

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Par	4	4	5	3	4	4	3	4	4
Result	Birdie	Par	Birdie	Par	Birdie	Par	Birdie	Birdie	Par
Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	5	3	4	5	4	3	4	4	5
Result	Par	Par	Par	Par	Par	Par	Par	Birdie	Par

Those numbers left McIlroy four strokes ahead of nearest rival Morten Orum Madsen and six ahead of Lee Westwood. Here's what the leaderboard looks like after Day 3:

Position	Player	Overall	Round 3 Score
1	Rory McIlroy	-20	66
2	Morten Orum Madsen	-16	66
3	Lee Westwood	-14	69
T4	Andy Sullivan	-13	70
T4	Stephen Gallacher	-13	70
T4	Danny Willett	-13	70
T4	Bernd Wiesberger	-13	70
T8	Pablo Larrazabal	-12	69
T8	Robert Rock	-12	69
T8	Emilliano Grillo	-12	69

Day 2 Recap

David Cannon/Getty Images

McIlroy shot a majestic round of 64 to surge to the top of the leaderboard on Day 2 of the Dubai Desert Classic. The world No. 1’s excellent day included eight birdies, meaning he’s placed superbly on 14-under par at the halfway point of this competition.

The Northern Irishman’s birdie at the last pushed him into the outright lead moving into the weekend and ominously for the players trailing him, the four-time Major winner looks to be settling into a devastating groove at the Emirates Golf Club.

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out
Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In	Total
Par	4	4	5	3	4	4	3	4	4	35
Strokes	4	3	4	3	2	4	3	4	4	32
Par	5	3	4	5	4	3	4	4	5	37	72
Strokes	4	3	4	5	4	3	3	3	4	34	66

Here’s a look the leaderboard moving into the weekend:

Position	Player	Overall	Round 2 Score
1	Rory McIlroy	-14	64
2	Marc Warren	-13	65
T3	Seve Benson	-12	66
T3	Graeme McDowell	-12	65
T5	Danny Willett	-11	66
T5	Bernd Wiesberger	-11	69
T5	Stephen Gallagher	-11	67
T5	Andy Sullivan	-11	68
T5	Lee Westwood	-11	68

McIlroy was pretty content with his opening round, but he will have been delighted with how he performed on Day 2. Three birdies in the first five holes really set to tone for the day, as the 25-year-old star embarked on an assault on the top places.

Here’s a detailed look as his swing, courtesy of the European Tour Twitter account

After that initial flurry the world No. 1 settled into his round, picking up four pars to go through the front nine three-under par. But with the leading players still a little further in front, Rory slowly cranked it up as he rounded the turn.

Just as he did on Day 1, McIlroy notched birdies at 10 and 11 to move within touching distance of leaders. Chances to birdie came and went between 12-15, but those in attendance at the Majlis course were set to be treat to a finish of real panache from the Ryder Cup star.

David Cannon/Getty Images

A birdie at 16 pushed Rory to within one of outright leader Marc Warren, before another at 17 gave him a share of the lead. At the par five 18th, McIlroy chipped into the green to give himself a chance of another birdie from 20-feet and much to the delight of the spectators, rolled it in to take the outright lead:

As we can see, McIlroy as been remarkably consistent in European Tour events as of late:

The signs are very positive for the world’s best player heading into the weekend. The putting that hampered his cause in Abu Dhabi looks to be in much better working order at the Emirates Golf Club and after such a strong finish, momentum is hugely in McIlroy’s favour with two days remaining.

Day 1 Recap

Warren Little/Getty Images

McIlroy posted a six-under 66 during his opening round, finishing the day tied sixth, two shots behind leader Bernd Wiesberger. He started the day on the 10th and with consecutive birdies, as noted below, per the European Tour website:

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out
Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In	Total
Par	4	4	5	3	4	4	3	4	4	35
Strokes	4	4	4	3	3	3	3	3	5	32
Par	5	3	4	5	4	3	4	4	5	37	72
Strokes	4	2	4	5	4	3	4	4	4	34	66

Here's a look at those setting the pace (You can check the full standings right here):

Position	Player	Score
1	Bernd Wiesberger	-8
T2	Nicolas Colsaerts	-7
T2	Andy Sullivan	-7
T2	Lee Westwood	-7
T2	Peter Uihlein	-7
T6	Stephen Gallacher	-6
T6	Rory McIlroy	-6
T6	Maximilian Kieffer	-6
T6	Anders Hansen	-6
T6	Seve Benson	-6
T6	Hennie Otto	-6
T6	Marc Warren	-6

Just one dropped shot affected McIlroy's score. He suffered a setback on nine, but previously pushed himself to the upper echelons of the scoreboard on a day marked by consistency in his ball striking.

McIlroy sunk four birdies between holes 3-8, pushing himself to just one shot behind Nicolas Colsaerts and Andy Sullivan, who posted seven-under 65 to remain one away from Wiesberger's mark.

The Austrian enjoyed a fantastic run of form after the turn, sinking five consecutive birdies to thrust himself into the lead. Wiesberger didn't drop a shot all day and should be commended for a remarkable run of consistency.

Warren Little/Getty Images

McIlroy confirmed he will do his best to suppress thoughts of his impending court case to push for the win, saying: "After this tournament's over, I'll have to do my homework (prepare for court), but at the same time, I'm fully focused on this event and golf and to try to do the best I can this week," reported by ESPN.

He also spoke about the day's play, per the European Tour's feed:

McIlroy will be confident of improving throughout the week after a solid initial display. He needs to work hard to ensure his putting doesn't let him down in Dubai—he performed poorly on the green last time out in Abu Dhabi—particularly if Wiesberger continues to gain confidence.

Victory could take the emphasis off unsavoury headlines for McIlroy, who is more than capable of escaping his current pack to challenge for the lead on Friday.