World No.2 McIlroy had a final round of 70 on Sunday to finish on 14-under-par overall, one stroke ahead of Poland's Adrian Meronk.

The Northern Irishman won his first professional career title in the competition in 2009 and his two-under-par final round was enough to hold off a surging Meronk and overtake Ernie Els for the most wins at the event.

"It's really cool," McIlroy said. "I didn't really think about that during the course of the round, it was a really tricky day."

Having begun round three 10 adrift, he closed out the victory on one of his favourite courses at the Emirates Golf Club.

McIlroy began the day alongside Meronk, two shots behind American Cameron Young.

Young carded two bogeys on the front nine and McIlroy took full advantage to take a three-shot lead at the turn, while Meronk looked out of the running with a double-bogey on the 7th and a bogey on the 9th leaving him five shots behind.

"It's a great start to the season, last year I started well with a win here ... it's a great platform to build from." – Rory McIlroy. 

Meronk recovered and got to within one shot of the leader by the 14th with three birdies in the first five holes of the back nine as McIlroy made his first bogey of the round at the 13th, but the Pole's bogey on the 16th restored the gap.

Meronk birdied the last to take him back to one-shot behind, but McIlroy showed his experience to make a routine par at the final hole for the title.

"It's a great start to the season, last year I started well with a win here ... it's a great platform to build from," McIlroy said.

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Young, who had taken the lead after the second round, had to settle for third place, finishing on 12-under-par overall.

Australia's evergreen Adam Scott enjoyed another top-10 finish, eventually finishing in a four-way tie for seventh place after his final-round, three-under 69 left him at nine-under overall, five shots behind McIlroy.