Rock stunned by victory

Robert Rock

Published: 9:16am, 30th January 2012
Updated: 12:37pm, 30th January 2012

England's Robert Rock will probably have to win the Ryder Cup or land a major to beat the feeling he had on Sunday night.

The 34-year-old had never spoken to Tiger Woods until this weekend, but now he is part of an elite group of golfers who have gone head-to-head in the final group with him and won. Rock also defeated the world's top four to land the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, just his second victory in 227 European Tour events going back a decade.

His only previous success came in last year's Italian Open and he had to dash from there to the US Open - via the American Embassy in London to resolve a visa problem. This time he is on a week off before returning to the Middle East for the Dubai Desert Classic. "I know what I have done doesn't happen very often," he said.

Since Woods left the amateur ranks in 1996 only nine players - Lee Westwood, Thomas Bjorn and Graeme McDowell among them - have stopped the American going on to win when he held at least a share of the 54-hole lead.

Rock did it from the relative obscurity of 117th in the world, but now he is close to the top 50 and if he is there in two months' time a Masters debut at Augusta will be his.

"I really can't believe I have done that," Rock said after surviving a last-hole scare to beat Rory McIlroy by one and Woods, McDowell and Bjorn by two.

"I was just very happy to be playing with Tiger. That's a special honour in itself. I was nervous, but looking forward to it.

"I was prepared to accept that people don't generally play well with Tiger (certainly not the first time they do it) and if it turned out to be a bad day then fair enough.

"He spoke to me before and that definitely helped. I would have been even more of a nervous wreck otherwise."