News

Steady as a Rock: Robert Rock outlasts Tiger and others to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship

Published

14 years ago

Jan 29, 2012

Pete Pappas

By Pete Pappas (The Greek Grind)

GolfWRX Staff Writer

Robert Rock won’t soon forget this one.

He went to head-to-head against his idol and 14-time major champion Tiger Woods in the final group Sunday in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and won, tapping in on the 18th hole to finish 13-under par for a climactic one-shot victory.

“I can’t believe I’ve done that,” Rock said. “Today is such an amazing feeling.”

Birdies on No. 14 and No. 16 looked to seal the victory for Rock, pushing his lead to two strokes with two holes to play. But a nervous tee shot on No. 18 added some very real drama to the finish, forcing Rock to take a penalty drop.

“On the 18^th the wind blew it, and it was a weak strike,” Rock said. “I didn’t see it land, so I didn’t know if it was in rough or sand.”

As he did all day, Rock regained his composure and salvaged bogey to claim the almost $460,000 first-place check. Click here for more discussion in the forums

Woods was by some accounts the favorite to win the tournament, his first appearance in 2012, but failed to hold his 54-hole lead for just the ninth time in his career and only the third time in European Tour competition.

Rock and Woods traded shots early on, and were tied for the lead at 12-under and 13-under. They both carded par, birdie, birdie on their first three holes. On the second hole Woods drained an amazing 45-foot right-to-left downhill birdie putt after scrambling from beneath a tree the shot before, but he was unable to keep up his early pace. Woods started the back nine with a bogey on a par 5 and finished with eight-consecutive pars. He struggled with his ball striking on the back nine as well, hitting only two fairways and four greens.

Still, Tiger remained encouraged with his play overall.

“I was right there with a chance to win the golf tournament but didn’t do it,” Woods said. “I was just a touch off.”

En route to the most important and significant win in his 14-year career, Rock battled a bona fide powerhouse field, which featured six of the world’s top-10 players. He held off late charges from U.S. Open winners Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, as well as three-time 2011 European Tour winner Thomas Bjorn.

McIlroy quietly carded 22 birdies on the week to finish runner up, and was seen watching the scoreboard throughout the day. But the young Ulsterman was never able to make a run that would vault him into the lead.

McDowell finished tied for third with Woods and Bjorn, and recorded an ace on the par 3 12th hole, earning him the prize of a three night stay at the seven-star Emirates Palace, once a year for life (Spaniard Sergio Garcia also recorded a hole in one on No. 12 on the opening day, earning the same prize.)

With the win Rock moves to second in the Race to Dubai, and into the top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking (the top 50 on the World Ranking list prior to the start of the Masters earn invitations to the tournament).

News

GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

A reminder from your friends at GolfWRX: Father’s Day is June 21. And as we do every year, we’re rounding up the best gifts for dad.

As we say every year, there’s no better golf-related Father’s Day gift than a round of golf with pops. Be it a country club or your favorite muni, take the time to get together to play 18 if you can.

Let’s get to the gifts.

Ghost Golf Qualifier Diamond Polo

We like the new polos that Ghost is offering, as the fabric and fit are so good. These new Qualifier Collection polos breathe well, are lightweight, stretch with your swing, and of course look great. You can wear them on the course, in the office, or just out at a casual event and they will fit right in.

Buy here.

STR8-Strip Grip Tape Remover

If your dad is an equipment aficionado and tinkers with his clubs, this tool works wonders. Removing grip tape has never been easier, just put a little head on the tape and the STR8-Strip peals it right off the shaft without any damage.

Buy here.

Why Golf: Putting Thing

When it comes to practice, it is good to have a purpose. This “Putting Thing” sure does it. We know from personal experience how challenging it can be and how rewarding it is on the practice green. This also provides some competition for your kiddo to see who will unload the dishwasher or do the next chore around the house.

Buy here.

OluKai Lae‘ahi Men’s Breathable Slip-On Shoes

Riding to and from the course in style and comfort is always a good thing. If you’re in a hurry, it’s a nice feature to slide into your shoes and get to the tee time. For the post-game shoe, at your locker or while putting your clubs away in the car. Nice to slide into a shoe that looks good anywhere. Pair that with meeting the family for dinner, no need to change!

Buy here.

Therabody Theragun Relief

A little wellness goes a long way. Keeping loose is a good way to go when it comes to the weekend game or treatment during the week. If there is a little ache or pain, the Theragun is there to help out. Help loosen up the back for a pre-game warm-up or cool-down.

Buy here.

World Cup golf apparel

Something for the soccer dads. Embrace the World Cup fever this summer on the course with custom gear to support the nation of your choice.

Buy here.

FootJoy Pro SL spikeless golf shoes

Give the old man a break and save his feet with the Footjoy Pro SL Men’s Spikeless Golf Shoes for some added comfort on the course.

Buy here.

Bushnell Wingman 2 GPS speaker

Combine all the hits as well as some game improvement with the Wingman 2 Golf GPS Speaker by getting audible distance readings from 38,000+ courses worldwide through the Wingman 2 remote or speaker.

Buy here.

Personalized Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

The No. 1 ball in golf is a safe bet, and the Pro V1 fits the largest chunk of the bell curve if you don’t know what ball pops plays. Add personalization for a, well, personal touch!

Buy here.

GolfWRX may earn a commission for purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 OccuNet Classic

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

With the PGA Tour across the border in Canada this week, GolfWRX Tour Photographer Greg Moore stayed stateside and headed to the OccuNet Classic presented by Amarillo National Bank in Amarillo, Texas.

It’s always interesting to see what the guys are playing on the KFT, and this week certainly hasn’t disappointed so far, with some incredible wedge stamping on display.

Check out links to all our albums below.

General Albums

2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT) – Monday #1

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Luke Potter’s custom Cameron putter – 2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT)

News

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Scotty Cameron GOLO 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @HuskerFlyer is sharing a Scotty Cameron GOLO with a BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition shaft. While the putter is certainly enviable, the Augusta-inspired shaft is equally noteworthy.

From the listing:

Scotty Cameron Golo 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition Scotty Headcover 34″ $375

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.