USGolfProTips

• Englishman wins Abu Dhabi title by stroke from Rory McIllroy
• Woods, McDowell and Thomas Bjorn a further shot behind

Tiger Woods did not know much about Robert Rock before on Sunday. Bet he does now. The Englishman, a former driving‑range professional at a place called “Swingers”, introduced himself to the former world No1 in emphatic fashion with a nerveless performance over the final 18 holes of the Abu Dhabi Championship to secure the biggest win of his career. A round of 70, two-under par, gave the Englishman a two- shot victory over Rory McIlroy with Woods one shot further back.

“I can’t quite believe it,” Rock said as he was ushered into the white light of immediate fame, a dazed look upon his face. He was not the only one.

This was meant to be the day that Woods finally re-established himself as the world’s leading player, if not in the official rankings then certainly in the minds of his peers. Alas for him, his fans and his cheerleaders in the American press, someone ripped up the script. The former world No1 started the round in a tie for the lead alongside Rock and finished in a tie for the third.

Given what has gone on in Woods’s life over the past two years, and the woeful state of his game less than six months ago, this must be viewed as a further step along the road to redemption for the former world No1. But in the most immediate sense it cannot be described as anything less than a significant disappointment. For three days the American played beautifully, hitting fairways and greens with metronomic consistency. But when the bell went for the most exacting test he has faced since his return from personal scandal, he was left running on the spot.

There were some flashes early on in his round – he fashioned an outrageous birdie from underneath a eucalyptus tree on the par-five second and followed that with another birdie at the next – but a pattern of missed fairways and misjudged irons was quickly established.

“I was just a touch off today. I was hitting the ball through the fairways and a couple of my irons shots were going a lot further than they were supposed to. I just need to keep building, and get more consistency,” Woods said afterwards.

That was a fair assessment, but it failed to address a subject that is becoming all to apparent to those who have followed the great man’s career over the years. There was a time when Woods’ mere arrival on the first tee would have buckled the knees of a man such as Rock, who confessed on the eve of the final round on Sunday that he was feeling extremely nervous at the prospect of having to battle Woods in the final group. He was hardly alone in that. Over the years the American had won 52 of the 60 tournaments in which he had held the lead after 54 holes.

In other words, that Sunday red shirt of Woods had an aura. Not any more. YE Yang famously broke the spell at the 2009 PGA Championship, when he overcame the American’s two-shot advantage to emerge victorious. Graeme McDowell pulled off a similar comeback at the Chevron World Challenge in 2010, ceding Woods a four-stroke lead with 18 holes to play and eventually beating him in a play-off. Add Robert Rock to the expanding club of the undaunted.

“Robert played great today. He was solid, he was consistent and he didn’t do anything wrong. He was in play, he was consistent, hit a couple of beautiful iron shots down the stretch and made some putts,” Woods said of the winner’s final‑round performance.

As for Rock himself, there is the prospect of a week off, a celebration and a lifetime being known as the man who beat Tiger Woods in Abu Dhabi. Yet in all honestly, the Englishman could be more than a one-week wonder if he believes in his talent and applies it fully. He possesses a technically sound, beautifully rhythmic swing and, as he proved time and again on Sunday, a temperament capable of withstanding the ultimate pressure.

“It doesn’t get an awful lot harder than playing with Tiger Woods in the final group. So I guess I have shown I can handle that,” he said.