Northern Irish golf star Rory McIlroy had a narrow miss on getting a wedding gift for his fiancee Caroline Wozniacki after he was upstaged by defending champion Stephen Gallacher in the leaderboard at the 2.5 million-dollar Dubai Desert Classic on Saturday.
Seeking the record 2.5 million dollars on offer for a hole-in-one at the 325-yard par-four 17th hole, the former world No. 1 saw his drive roll past the cup after scoring two shots off the lead with a 69.
According to CNN, McIlroy, who proposed to his tennis star girlfriend in Sydney on New Year's Eve, joked that when he saw the pitch mark run past the hole, he felt that he had lost his chance to pay for his wedding.
However, McIlroy expressed hope of winning his first European Tour title in 14 months by regaining the lead from defending Desert Classic champion Gallacher, who carded a sizzling nine-under-par 63 in Saturday's third round to claim a two-shot advantage over McIlroy.
The Scot was 10 under for the last 10 holes as he fired eight birdies and an eagle in his bid to become the first player to retain the title on the tournament's 25th anniversary, the report added.