Matt Fitzpatrick defeated Rory McIlroy in a playoff at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, but McIlroy secured a record seventh Race to Dubai title, surpassing the late Seve Ballesteros. The Northern Irishman staged a dramatic late fightback with an eagle at the 72nd hole to force extra holes, but Fitzpatrick prevailed after both players missed the green with their approach shots.
An emotional McIlroy said: "It's amazing, I had a conversation with Carmen [Ballesteros's ex-wife] before I went out to play today and she told me how proud he would have been. He means so much to this tour and the European Ryder Cup team. We rally so much around his spirit and around his quotes and everything he meant for European golf. To equal him last year was cool, but to surpass him this year, I didn't get this far in my dreams, so it's very cool."
McIlroy now trails only Colin Montgomerie, who holds the record with eight titles. "I want it [eight titles], of course I do," McIlroy added. "I was the first European to win the grand slam and I would love to be the European with the most wins in terms of the order of merit and season-long races."
Fitzpatrick, who started the final day one shot behind McIlroy, carded a bogey-free round of 66 to set the clubhouse target. After McIlroy forced a playoff with a 15-foot eagle putt, Fitzpatrick emerged victorious. "He [McIlroy] is one of only a few where you know you are going to a playoff," Fitzpatrick said. "I struggled at the start of the year, obviously, and to turn it round in the summer like I did, have the Ryder Cup like I did which is hard to top, but the way I played today – there was one bad shot all day. So proud of myself."
Tommy Fleetwood tied for third alongside Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and two others, while Tyrrell Hatton, who had a faint hope of denying McIlroy the Race to Dubai crown, finished in a share of 14th.
