New Zealand's Daniel Hillier birdied his last two holes to edge ahead by one shot going into the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic on Saturday, while four-time champion Rory McIlroy was seven strokes off the lead.

Before the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund-backed LIV Golf changed the sport forever, the Premier Golf League was trying to get off the ground and rival the PGA Tour

Although Rory McIlroy has not played well in his first tournament of 2025, he is certainly not out of it at the halfway point.

Rory McIlroy has been one of the most outspoken PGA Tour golfers about preserving the tour despite everything LIV Golf is doing to create its own breakaway league, but even the Northern Irishman recognizes the power of what LIV is building.

Rory McIlroy and Tom McKibbin mounted final-round challenges but couldn't stop LIV Golf's Tyrrell Hatton from claiming his fifth Rolex Series win with a one-shot victory in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Rory McIlroy is not playing at the level we have come to expect, but has precedence to lean on at the Hero Desert Dubai Classic.

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Rory McIlroy enjoyed another big pay-day on Sunday after finishing tied for fourth at the Dubai Desert Classic. The Northern Ireland golfer produced a rousing final round of -6 to finish on -12 for the tournament.

England's Tyrrell Hatton said it was "a dream come true" after the LIV Golf player continued his remarkable form on the European Tour on Sunday claiming the Dubai Desert Classic as Rory McIlroy's gallant effort to secure the title three years in a row came up short.

Hero Dubai Desert Classic prize money breakdown in full after the first Rolex Series event of the season on the DP World Tour.