Rory McIlroy has officially won the Race to Dubai for his sixth and third consecutive year after another solid season on the DP World Tour.
McIlroy, who won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and has four runner-up finishes during his time on the DP World Tour, enters the DP World Tour Championship with a 1,785-point advantage in the season-long standings.
The 35-year-old extended his lead over nearest challenger Triston Lawrence with a third-place finish at the HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi last week, leaving the South African in need of a victory over McIlroy He also failed to enter the top 11 in the Dubai snatch competition. Championship all season long.
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Highlights from the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links, with Paul Waring taking the title and Rory McIlroy finishing third.
The four-time DP World Tour winner's hopes were quickly dashed after rounds of 73 and 71 on the previous two days at Jumeirah Golf Estates when Lawrence finished 1 under in the final round By the end of the week, McIlroy's status as Dubai winner was officially confirmed. 74 and missed out on a championship win.
McIlroy followed up success at the Race to Dubai in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2022 and 2023 with the Harry Varden Trophy and equaled Ballesteros in his record-breaking career In terms of career records, the world's third-ranked player is only two points away from Colin Montgomery's historical record of eight Medal of Merit titles.
How McIlroy won Dubai again
The Northern Irishman lost the season-opening Dubai Invitational by one stroke, trailing Tommy Fleetwood in a tie for second after a bogey on the final hole, but bounced back a week later to successfully defend his title Hero Dubai Desert Classic Champion.
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Rory McIlroy won his fourth title with a sensational performance in the final round of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
He extended his wait for a career major at the Masters, ending in a tie for 22nd as Scottie Scheffler battled to win and McIlroy failed to make a strong run at the PGA Championship Got off to a great start and ended the week tied for 12th.
McIlroy's best chance to end his drought came at the U.S. Open, where he squandered a two-shot lead in the closing holes to finish second behind Bryson DeChambeau, a finish he described as his “The most difficult day” in my 17-year career.
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Highlights from a thrilling final round of the U.S. Open at Pinewood II, in which Rory McIlroy missed out on the title to Bryson DeChambeau.
He did not return to competition until a month later to defend his Genesis Scottish Open title, where Robert McIntyre triumphed on home soil and he finished fourth, but he subsequently lost the title after rounds of 78 and 75 at the British Open. Unexpected promotion. Royal Troon.
McIlroy was unable to convert his lead into the final round at home at the Amgen Irish Open, with Rasmus Hoggard finishing second after birdying four of his final five holes and then Lost to Billy Horschel in a playoff at the BMW PGA Championship the following week.
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Let's take a look back at how Rory McIlroy and Billy Horschel battled for victory at Wentworth.
A tie for 25th at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship was McIlroy's only regular DP World Tour event of the season in which he finished worse than fifth, and he finished at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Finished tied for third place, and then ended up in Dubai with glory in the Dubai Championship.
Can McIlroy have more success on the DP World Tour?
McIlroy is now three behind Harry Vardon, two behind Fedor and two behind Ballesteros in the race to become the most successful European men's golfer in history with a total of four major titles. One, the former world number one is confident of approaching their total and surpassing their Montgomery Medal record.
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Rory McIlroy's top wins in 2024 were at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, Zurich New Orleans Classic and Wells Fargo Championship.
“I want to be the most successful European ever,” McIlroy said ahead of the HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi earlier this month. “Obviously the Dubai win counts and the major tournaments count and hopefully I have a lot more Ryder Cups ahead of me.
“It's something I want to do and I think it's a completely achievable goal in the next 10 years. I'm proud to be from Europe and to be part of this tour [DP World Tour] And played consistently on this tour. “
McIlroy will seek elusive fifth major victory in 2025
On how many Race to Dubai titles he can add to his tally, McIlroy said before the season finale: “I think I'm just focusing on one year at a time. Over the past few years, I've been focused on winning the Race to Dubai again. I There were probably a few years where I didn't play enough on the DP World Tour to really give myself a chance.
“I definitely tried to recommit to making it something that was important to me. It was a very meaningful thing. You know, obviously trying to get into Monty's [Colin Montgomerie]Reaching eight, or even more than eight, is definitely a future goal. “
Watch Rory McIlroy on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour live on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports now or live stream DP World Tour and more.
