Rock tames Tiger to win in Abu Dhabi

England's Robert Rock beat Tiger Woods head-to-head to become the shock winner of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

With only one win in his previous 226 European Tour events and ranked 117th in the world, the 34-year-old overcame a last-hole drama to defeat Rory McIlroy by one and Woods, Graeme McDowell and Thomas Bjorn by two.

Rock was two ahead on the tee at the par five 18th, but pushed his drive into the hazard on the right in amongst rocks and plants.

He chose to take a penalty drop knowing that a six would be good enough unless Woods eagled and, with the American failing to pitch in after going in the rough, a two-putt bogey did indeed complete the greatest day of his 14-year professional career.

McIlroy birdied the last for a 69 to be runner-up for the second year in a row, but after three impressive rounds Woods was all over the show on the final day. Somehow he managed a 72.

Speaking on his Twitter account, McIlroy admitted that the two-shot penalty he received in Friday's second round ultimately cost him the tournament.

McIlroy tweeted: "2 shot penalty on Friday cost me in the end... Still, not a bad way to start the 2012 season. Congrats to Rocky, very solid down the stretch."

Every one of Woods's 14 major titles came with him at least sharing the lead with a round to go and this was only the ninth time in his entire career that he has not gone on to victory from such a position.

He was odds-on to come out on top again when he birdied the second and third, but Rock matched both of them and the American's bogeys at the next two separated them.

After a seven-foot birdie on the sixth the gap was three, but by the turn it was back to one. Rock ran up a six at the long eighth and Woods birdied the next.

That made him favourite again, but a bogey six on the 582-yard 10th was his only deviation from par on the back nine.

There was still a chance Rock might crack after bogeying the 13th, but his response was superb and after the scare down the last the €350,000 first prize became his.

The most dramatic finish, however, came from McDowell. He holed-in-one on the 12th - Sergio Garcia and Jose Manuel Lara did it in the first round - chipped in on the next and then closed with two more birdies.

That does not tell the full story. The Ulsterman thinned his third shot at the 18th and, after hitting the grandstand behind the green, the ball rebounded some 30 feet to within six feet of the flag.

Like McIlroy, though, McDowell was left to rue something earlier in the week. He went in the water and double-bogeyed the 17th on day one after his driver broke.

Woods heads back home a year after his last trip to the Middle East ended with him being given a European Tour fine for spitting.

He did it again by the ninth tee and television commentator Mark Roe said: "I almost feel like I should apologise - it's a horrible habit.

"I wish he would stop that. It's the one thing I don't like about him - everything else I can cope with."

Last month the authorities in Abu Dhabi announced that they would be imposing spot fines for spitting, throwing cigarette butts or dropping chewing gum on the city streets.