That gave Fleetwood the chance to win it from 10 feet and he kept his nerve to hole it and take the win with McIlroy in a tied for second with Lawrence.

“It was great – I was very happy with the way I played today but for a large majority of the round I felt like I didn’t hole some of the putts that I wanted to,” Fleetwood told Sky Sports.

“It was great watching one the world’s greatest golfers in Rory, the way he was playing the back nine, the way he was attacking the back nine.

“It was just up and down at the end – a sloppy bogey on 16 from not that bad an iron shot and then birdie-birdie on 17 and 18. I played very well, I was hitting it very solid [but] looked looked distinctly average on that back nine compared to the way Rory was playing.

“But I felt very in control of my game. It was just a case of staying patient. I think on 14 Rory – it was unexpected for hom not to just roll that in for another birdie but again you just watched him bounce back on 15 and the shot on 16 and the way he played 17.

“For me, I knew I was playing very well and I played 17 and 18 great.”

McIlroy was playing for the first time since November, will remain in the Middle East next week to defend his Dubai Desert Classic title.