He Came, He Saw, He Faltered, He Bogeyed, He Hit A Decent Bunker Shot...He Conquered

Few 19-year-olds can get away with saying "Thank God I've finally got that over with", after winning their first European Tour title, passing €1.6 million in prize money, and entering the top 16 in the World rankings. However, with Rory McIlroy, it was the natural response. We all felt the same. For the last 8 months, we've all been waiting impatiently for the young Northern Irishman to enter the winner's circle, heads in hands as he came agonisingly close again. On Sunday, the agony was over.

Not, however, as soon as people thought it would be.

With 5 holes to go, McIlroy had a 6-shot lead. Now, I wasn't trying to bore people with clichés, but I honestly did mention fat ladies and their singing. I've seen people lose leads like that before, and with a chasing pack involving Henrik Stenson, Robert Karlsson, Justin Rose and Paul Casey anything could happen. And most of it did.

 The bogey on the 15th - maybe he shouldn't have gone at the flag on the tricky par-3, but I don't believe in playing defensive golf on the back nine on Sunday. It just leads to tightening up. He was striking the ball well; he had to continue the way he was. It's a bogey. It happens.

 The next bogey obviously meant things were wobbling, but the fact that it involved a gutsy 5-footer for the 5 was important. Much like Alvaro Quiros in Qatar last week, he made a bogey which would have felt like a save. 

The last bogey was just bad. 

18th tee - McIlroy's driving had been great all week, and he ripped one down last. He immediately had the advantage, as he could see what ROse decided to play, one stroke behind. In the end, they both hit poor lay-up shots. I don't care if he said it was a perfect lay-up - it wasn't. You don't want a 70-yard wedge in over water on a green sloping back towards the hazard; you want a full shot. 

In the end, he made the best up-and-down of his young career to take the title. Had Rose rolled in his 15-footer to force the playoff...well, we won't think about that. I'm worried I know what would have happened.

Of course it's nice to win a title with a stroll down the last, waving to the crowds. However, the fact that McIlroy hung in there and won it with a bunker shot and 3-footer is so much the better. That's an experience he's going to have to rely on in the future, whether he's in the same position or if he's stepped into Rose's shoes. The first win may be the hardest, but when it's even harder than it should be, it's a great extra club in the bag.

Karlsson, Casey, Stenson and Rose all showed their class once again; they'll all be picking up another win soon enough.

Frustration story of the week was Sergio Garcia. On so many he'd nail his drive, hit an iron in to within 12 feet, and miss the putt. He didn't sink a thing, and finished in the top 15. His putting has always been his weak point, occasionally getting hot when he wins a title, but if he's going to accept the burden he faces now to take a few majors, he has to sort it out. It's easy to say and very difficult to do. The only way to sort it is to hole putts, and get your confidence back.

What was the key to the win? Temperament was important on the last hole, but the difference between McIlroy this week and McIlroy for the last 16 months was his putting. I've said it before - his short putting is very good, but he didn't hole enough middle-distance putts. He did in Dubai. And once they start going in, they only get easier. 

He won't have to remember the putt he missed in the Alps in September to gift-wrap the European Masters to Jean-Francois Lucquin. He'll just remember that putt yesterday evening in the desert, to kick-start the next stage in his career.