Rory driven to distraction

Rory McIlroy has admitted he will once again be working on his driving ahead of his return to competitive action in Dubai next week.

US Open champion to continue working hard on the range

Rory McIlroy has admitted he will once again be working on his driving ahead of his return to competitive action at the Dubai Desert Classic next week. The US Open champion came within a whisker of starting his season with a victory last weekend but finished as runner-up in Abu Dhabi, just one shot behind eventual winner Robert Rock. His near miss was made all the more galling given that McIlroy was handed a two-shot penalty for wiping sand off the fringe of a green during Friday's second round. The 22-year-old felt there were plenty of positives to take from his performance but has admitted there is still work for him to do off the tee. McIlroy hit less than 50 percent of fairways in Abu Dhabi but feels he is heading in the right direction with his driver. "(I'll) work on still the same things that I was working on coming into (last) week, a little bit of posture, trying to get the club in the right position on the way back," he explained.

Big improvement

"(In Abu Dhabi) I improved off the tee every day. (On Sunday) I didn't miss a fairway until the 11th I think, and that was a big improvement and something I still have to work on." The Ulsterman will skip this week's European Tour event in Qatar, but will be back in action in Dubai the following week and is already looking forward to competing. The event holds special memories for him as it was the scene of his maiden professional triumph back in 2009. This time around he will start as favourite for the title and is determined to arrive with his game in top condition. "Yeah, really looking forward to a course I've done well at before and great memories," McIlroy added. "Looking forward to getting another week's worth of practise and coming out and trying to challenge for that title and my first title of the year."