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Rory McIlroy will play the Dubai Desert Classic for the 14th time this week. He's finished in the top 10 in 10 consecutive starts here dating back to his first professional win, which came at this tournament in 2009. There are a lot of great player-course combinations in the world of pro golf, but there might not be a better one than McIlroy and the Emirates Golf Club.

Here are some numbers from Rory's long reign of dominance at Emirates GC.

  • He has gained 2.5 strokes per round since 2010. Next best in the field (min. 8 rounds) is Kalle Samooja at 1.2. Rory doubles up the next best player here since 2010.
  • He has finished in the top six in eight of his last 10 appearances here and in the top 10 in all of them.
  • His scoring average of 67.6 (!!) since 2015 is two strokes better than the next best player (according to Justin Ray).

There's a reason he's a +260 favorite to win this week -- his second consecutive tournament in Dubai -- and -700 (!) to finish in the top 20. 

Throw in the fact that he's coming off a strong starting week with a runner-up at the Dubai Invitational to Tommy Fleetwood last week and has finished outside the top 10 in just two of his last 14 worldwide starts, and you have all the makings of somebody going back-to-back at this event to start 2024 like he started 2023.

"I felt really good with where my game was last week [at the Dubai Invitational]," said McIlroy. "Opened with that great 62. Made a big number on the Friday. Felt like I played pretty good Saturday without really doing much. I struggled to hole putts early on but then got it going on the back nine. And then Sunday, obviously, I made a couple of mistakes with the three-putt on 14 from very close range, and then put the ball in the water on 18. Even the ball in the water off 6, too. I think tidying up some of those mental mistakes.

"The first week back, you're not expecting it, but you can see how those things just sort of happen if you haven't played in a while. So brush up a bit on the game management. Be a little tighter mentally with some of the stuff, and apart from that, I hit the ball well. I felt like I putted well for the most part, and if I do the same again this week on a golf course that I know really well, I should have a good chance."

He certainly should have a good chance. While the Dubai field this week has some notable names, including Cameron Young, Tyrrell Hatton, Nicolai Hojgaard, Rasmus Hojgaard, Adam Scott, Tommy Fleetwood and Open champion Brian Harman, nobody can match (or even come close to) McIlroy's resume at this golf course.

"[Dubai] was obviously the first win of my professional career, but I first played this event as an amateur in 2006," he said. "So I've been coming here for 18 years. I can't even believe it. Dubai has meant a lot to me over my career. I got my first win here. I feel like it's a tournament to give me one of my first opportunities to play on this tour, my first sponsor was from here, Jumeirah.

"So I have a lot of great memories and I have a lot of great friends in this region. I lived here for four years, as well. There's a big piece of my life has been spent here in Dubai, and I'm always excited to get back. I don't spend as much time here as I used to. It's always exciting to come back and spend a couple of weeks."

When the focus is on Rory, who will play the first two rounds with Nicolai Hojgaard and Adam Scott, the emphasis is almost always on major championships and his 10-year drought. But he said Tuesday that majors are not the only thing by which he measures his career. There are other achievements to reach, other markers to hit.

"[Non-majors] still quench my thirst," he said. "There would be no reason to tee up in these events if they didn't. Winning is winning and competing is competing, and it doesn't matter whether it's the Dubai Desert Classic over here or whether it's the Honda Classic, or whatever it is. I love competing. I love to try to win golf tournaments. And you know, majors are really, really important in this game, but it's not the only thing that matters in my mind, and there are other things.

"But look, the majors are important, and I would love to get my hands on another one, and I think mostly because I have done everything else there is to do in the game since I last won a major championship. So to me, it's like the last step on this journey that I've been on this last few years is just getting my hands on another major trophy."

Rory may not win the Dubai Desert Classic this week at Emirates GC, but it would be a surprise if he was not in the mix late on Sunday. That's a good thing for both the DP World Tour and this event. McIlroy's game is in a good spot, and he's gotten into the flow of tournament golf again after a few months off. And, oh yeah, he absolutely destroys this golf course.