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The road to the Masters was always going to be an interesting journey this spring, no matter Rory McIlroy's results, but it becomes even more intriguing now that he has posted his first victory of the year and made it emphatically clear there is no doubt about his No. 1 status in the game.  Winning golf tournaments is never easy, but McIlroy made it look simple Sunday in the Middle East, doing what he had to do to secure the Omega Dubai Desert Classic title at Emirates Golf Club. McIlroy, 25, took a 4-stroke lead into the final round and was well aware of his own history (see the 2011 Masters) with such an advantage, as well as recent big-lead flameouts on the European Tour by major champions Charl Schwartzel and Martin Kaymer. But with three birdies and just a single bogey, he didn't let anyone get close, and cruised to his 16th career worldwide victory and 10th on the European Tour. In doing so, he joined some elite company, as he is now one of just three European players to have captured at least 10 European Tour titles and four majors. The other two are Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo, and they combined to win five green jackets, an article of clothing that will be of great importance to McIlroy in the coming weeks. That is the only major title McIlroy has yet to claim. Talk immediately turned to the Masters when McIlroy captured the Open Championship last summer, as McIlroy can join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack NIcklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to capture a career Grand Slam. And it certainly won't subside now that McIlroy has a victory on top of a strong recent run of success, one that still had him frustrated because he had finished second so often. "You come here to try to win events,'' McIlroy said on the eve of the tournament. "You're not here to try to finish in the top 5. Sometimes you walk away from a week, and you're satisfied with the top 5 because you haven't played that well, so you've done the best out of the week, but you're still disappointed you couldn't perform better. "So I guess that's the benchmark, you're trying to go in there and win every event you do play.'' Sounds like another guy who wears Nike apparel, one who seems nowhere close to the level exhibited by McIlroy these days. While McIlroy was making it look easy, Tiger Woods was stunningly making the game look very difficult at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, shooting his highest score as a pro and tumbling out of the top 50 in the world. Woods was in a similar position three years ago, coming off injury and inactivity, having fallen to No. 58 in the rankings before turning his fortunes around. Meanwhile, McIlroy took over the No. 1 spot early in the 2012 season and it took a run of great play (nine worldwide wins by Woods) and a slump (just one 2013 win for McIlroy) for Tiger to climb back on top. McIlroy has far bigger concerns than Woods at the moment. The way he is swinging the club, the way he has all aspects of his game in solid shape, it appears there is little that could derail him -- except for the matter of the potential distraction of a court case that begins this week in Dublin. Somehow it has gotten to this point, a contentious legal battle that has reached the stage of going to court due to lawsuits between McIlroy and his former management team at Horizon Sports. It is an ugly mess, big money is at stake and it has the potential to be embarrassing. How it has gotten to this point and why McIlroy and his current team have not settled is a subject of considerable debate. But it is here, far more than a nuisance. "I'm going to be heading to the States regardless with it off my mind and not having to deal with it or think about it, that will be it,'' McIlroy said. "It will be nice once it's over and done with.'' How long McIlroy will be required to appear in court is unclear, but he is scheduled to make his first U.S. start in three weeks at the Honda Classic. And then the run-up to the Masters will be in full flight. In 12 tournaments starting with the Open Championship last July, McIlroy has four victories and four second-place finishes. He's been out of the top 10 just twice. "I guess maybe there's a few things that I'm happy with in my game that, say, if Augusta was to roll around next week, I would be happy going there knowing that I'm hitting the ball the way I want to,'' McIlroy said. "I think it's important just to put in some good performances before that and get into contention and feel what it's like in the heat of the moment, because that's when you really know how your game is and how it holds up under some pressure.'' Rounds of 66-64-66 and then a tournament-capping 70 seem to suggest things are just fine. The Masters is just nine weeks away, and for McIlroy, you get the sense that his biggest struggle will be the patience required in waiting all that time.
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