Rory McIlroy reacts to reporter's stat: "That's pretty cool"

Rory McIlroy says he needs better game management going forwards after he came up short in his bid to win the Hero Dubai Desert Classic for the third year in a row. 

McIlroy carded an impressive final round of 6-under 66 at Emirates Golf Club on Sunday but in truth left himself too much to do and ultimately finished three strokes behind winner Tyrrell Hatton. 

Despite coming up short of his fifth overall title here, it marked McIlroy's 12th top-10 in a row at the iconic DP World Tour event. 

"That's pretty cool," McIlroy told Sky Sports' Tim Barter when he was informed of his run. 

Of his tournament performance, he said: "Yeah, I probably just left myself a bit too much to do after three days. 

"I had chances, and I was burning the edges.

"Felt like I putted pretty well without anything going in and then today, didn't really feel like I played that differently the way I played the last few days. 

"I just held a couple of putts and made a couple of good up-and-downs when I had to. 

"I feel like I got progressively better as the week went on, which bodes well for obviously the next few weeks."

McIlroy's next competitive start will be on the PGA Tour at the signature AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. 

Before that, though, he will make his TGL debut on 27 January where his Boston Common Golf side face Los Angeles. 

Two-time major champion Justin Thomas has already offered a blunt response to the hi-tech league's critics and McIlroy has already echoed his sentiments. 

Although we are only a few weeks into the new season, McIlroy said he likes where his golf swing is currently at. 

But his game management needs to be better, he said. 

"I think when you take a few weeks off and you come back to play like a really good tournament setup like this, I look at some flags on greens and like, whoa, that's quite a bit further to the right than I thought it would be or that's quite a bit further to the left," he said. 

"When you're playing at home and the greens are in the middle of the greens, it just gives you a different visual. 

"Then you get out here, and your aim lines start to become a little different. 

"So I think playing a week like this, it sort of gives me a good appreciation for what I need to do the next few weeks."

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