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Video: Rory McIlroy puts on a show for Tiger Woods in Dubai

January 30, 2014

Unless you stayed up really late last night, you probably missed watching Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods playing in the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic. And if that's the case, you missed quite a show -- from Rory, as least.

McIlroy fired an opening 63 to dust his playing partner, the world's top-ranked golfer, by five shots. According to this highlight package, Woods was hitting the ball "sideways," but posted a solid round thanks to some remarkable scrambling. McIlroy needed no such help from his short game:

Clearly, the shot of the day was a McIlroy 5-wood that carried about 250 yards and then gently rolled out to about 10 feet to set up an eagle. Not that we should be too surprised. McIlroy has a win, a runner-up, a T-5 and a T-6 in his last four worldwide events entering this week. So much for that slump.