3<\/p>\n McIlroy is leading the Race to DubaiCredit: Getty<\/p>\n McIlroy<\/a> is back in Abu Dhabi, aiming to secure his first victory in his 12th appearance at the event, as the Race to Dubai play-offs begin<\/a> at Yas Links. <\/p>\n The 36-year-old has finished runner-up at the tournament four times, alongside another three third-place spots.<\/p>\n The World No.2 lost out by a single stroke in 2012, 2014 and 2015, but the UAE capital\u00a0remains the location of his first professional hole-in-one<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 2016, McIlroy almost went one step further with a moment that would have changed golf’s record books and not just his own.<\/p>\n read more on Rory McIlroyRory McIlroy’s Near-Albatross<\/p>\n During a fog-delayed second-round at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, the now-Masters<\/a> champion was struggling for rhythm and one over when play was suspended.<\/p>\n McIlroy, Jordan Spieth<\/a> and, eventual winner, Rickie Fowler<\/a> were tasked with completing five holes on Saturday morning due to darkness.<\/p>\n Pars came on the 14th and 15th for McIlroy, before a short birdie miss at 16 with golf fans not anticipating anything special.<\/p>\n However, McIlroy birdied the penultimate hole and then, on the par-five 18th, a sensational 268-yard second tee shot almost dropped in.<\/p>\n McIlroy, who sighed and puffed out his cheeks as his ball rolled agonisingly away, dealt with the tap-in eagle putt.<\/p>\n “I needed that,” McIlroy told reporters afterwards. “I could not hole a putt from outside two feet, so I thought I would hit a couple inside two feet!<\/p>\n “I said to JP (Fitzgerald, his ex-caddie) on the 17th tee, ‘Let’s finish three, three’. So I don’t know if I should say I need 18 threes on the first tee. <\/p>\n “I knew 18 was a good chance and 17 was downwind, so I’d be going in with a wedge, but I didn’t quite expect to do what I did on 18. That was nice.<\/p>\n “It glossed over a pretty average round to be fair. <\/p>\n “But when you are not at your best, to be able to come away with a 70 and keep in touch with the leaders, I’m happy with that.”<\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n McIlroy has still never achieved golf’s ultra-rare feat, with 2016 his closest attemptCredit: GettyWhat is an Albatross in golf, and why is it so rare?<\/p>\n An albatross, or double eagle, is a score of three under par on a single hole.<\/p>\n It is typically achieved via a two on a par-5, like McIlroy came within a whisker of achieving in 2016, or with a hole-in-one on a par-4.<\/p>\n An ace remains golf’s holy grail, but an albatross is far rarer, as it usually requires two perfect shots rather than just one.<\/p>\n How many albatrosses have been made in majors?<\/p>\n The ‘shot heard around the world’ from Gene Sarazen was famously the albatross he recorded on the 15th hole at the 1935 Masters.<\/p>\n Since then, there have been 18 double eagles made across the four majors, with Patrick Reed the most recent<\/a> at the US Open<\/a> in June.<\/p>\n McIlroy, who\u00a0completed golf’s Grand Slam with victory at\u00a0the Masters<\/a> earlier this year, has still not joined such an exclusive club in his career.<\/p>\n He would love to change that at Yas Links this week to cap off a remarkable year with yet another landmark moment.<\/p>\n![\"McIlroy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/rory-mcilroy-northern-ireland-smiles-1036768328.jpg\")
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