Abu Dhabi Championship final leaderboard
- -13: R Rock (Eng)
- -12: R McIlroy (NI)
- -11: G McDowell (NI), T Bjorn (Den), T Woods (US)
- - 10: M Manassero (Ita), G Coetzee (SA)
- Selected others: -9: F Molinari (Ita), P Lawrie (Sco)
- -8: S Garcia (Spa)
- -7: G Maybin (NI)
- -6: L Westwood (Eng)
- -3: P Harrington (Ire)
- -1: L Donald (Eng)
England's Robert Rock held off the challenge of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy to claim his second European Tour win at the Abu Dhabi Championship.
Rock, who led with Woods overnight, birdied three of his first six holes to set up a one-shot victory on 13 under.
McIlroy (69) birdied the last to finish second, while Woods struggled to find fairways or greens in his level-par 72.
Graeme McDowell (68) aced the 12th and birdied the last two holes to tie for third with Woods and Thomas Bjorn (68).
Former world number one Woods started well with a 50-foot birdie putt on the second and another birdie on the third, but gave both those shots back with bogeys on the fourth and fifth.
Rock, who also birdied the second and third, knocked in another on the sixth to open a three-shot lead he could scarcely believe.
"I was just happy to be playing with Tiger," admitted Rock, who closed with a two-under-par 70. "That is a special honour in itself.
"Early on I was very nervous but I hit some good shots and then I began to think, 'why not [go on and win it]?'"
However, any thoughts of a straightforward victory were quickly snuffed out by a bogey on the eighth, and, when Woods birdied nine, the lead was back to one.
But that was as close as the American, who hit only five greens in regulation, would get.
"I was right there with a chance to win, but just didn't get the job done," said 36-year-old Woods.
"I got off to a beautiful start but misjudged the wind on the next two holes and felt I was just a touch off."
World number three McIlroy exerted a little late pressure with a birdie on the par-five last to set the clubhouse lead on 12 under.
That meant Rock, who had won only once previously on Tour in 228 attempts, had a two-shot cushion on the 18th tee - a cushion that would prove useful.
The 34-year-old pushed his drive towards the lake and although his ball stayed dry, he was left with tough lie among shrubs and rocks in the hazard.
Sensibly, on the advice of his caddie, rather than try and execute a difficult escape shot, Rock elected to take a penalty drop, knowing a bogey-six would be good enough unless Woods eagled the last.
Woods pulled his second shot into deep rough and after he failed to hole his pitch, Rock had the luxury of two putts from 25 feet to complete the greatest win of his 14-year career.
McDowell, the 2010 US Open champion, picked up five shots in his final seven holes to catapult himself up to a share of third with Denmark's Bjorn who shot up the leaderboard with a bogey-free 68.
The Northern Irishman followed his hole-in-one on the 12th with birdies on the 13th and 17th and then took advantage of an extraordinary piece of good fortune to birdie the last.
His third shot flew through the back of the green but cannoned off the stand onto the green just six feet from the hole.
"It was a thinned gap wedge that ricocheted off the stand to six feet for a regulation birdie," McDowell laughed.
