His breakthrough season came in 2009, when he managed three second-place finishes, including one at the Irish Open, where he tied for first place but lost to Irish amateur Shane Lowry in a three-hole playoff. He finished the season ranked in the top thirty of the Race to Dubai standings.
Rock claimed his maiden European Tour title in the 2011 BMW Italian Open in Turin, finishing one stroke ahead of Gary Boyd and Thorbjøn Olesen. The following week he made his debut in U.S. Open, but because of difficulties in obtaining a visa, he only arrived in the United States at 3:30am on the Thursday morning, less than 12 hours before the start of his round. Despite this, he managed an under-par opening round of 70 and finished tied for 23rd.
Rock won his second European Tour title in the 2012 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, finishing one shot ahead of Rory McIlroy. He entered the final round at 11 under par, tied for the lead with Tiger Woods, but outshone the American on Sunday to shoot a 2-under round of 70 to claim victory.
