Wednesday 24 January 2018 17:42, UK
Rory McIlroy believes his game is in good enough shape to challenge for victory ahead of returning to a familiar hunting ground at the Dubai Desert Classic.
The world No 11 missed last year's tournament through a rib injury, but returns to Dubai having posted top-10 finishes in his previous seven appearances at Emirates Golf Club.
McIlroy marked his first start of 2018 and first competitive appearance in three months with a tied-third finish at last week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, with the Northern Irishman aiming to build on a strong start to the season.
"It (Abu Dhabi) was above expectations for me to be honest," McIlroy told a pre-tournament press conference. "I thought if I could have shot four rounds under par and just saw some positive signs in my game, I would have gone away happy, but I played four rounds and felt no ill effects of the week.
"I guess that has changed the way I view this week a little bit because of how I played last week. I know that my game is in good enough shape to contend and try to win.
"I feel like I've got a bit of a spring back in in my step because of what happened last week and am very confident in myself. It (Emirates Golf Club) is a golf course I know how to get around and I know how to shoot good scores on."
McIlroy is a two-time winner of the event and can match Ernie Els' record of three Dubai Desert Classic titles with victory this week, with the four-time major champion pleased to be back pain-free as he chases a return to the winner's circle.
"I have a lot of good memories here at the Majlis Course," McIlroy added. "It's a place I love to come back to.
"It's always one of the highlights of the year for me to come and play here with the memories that I have, so I'm looking forward to getting back out there on Thursday and trying to give myself another chance to win.
"I feel good. There's no reason to think that my body won't hold up to tournament golf all this year, but I'm just making sure that everything's right. I'm making sure I'm getting daily treatment with physios and doing my stretches and doing everything that I possibly can to make sure that I'm injury-free."
Watch the Omega Dubai Desert Classic throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Thursday from 4am on Sky Sports Golf and 5.15 am on Sky Sports Main Event.
