Rory McIlroy expressed deep emotion after securing his seventh Race to Dubai title, surpassing the legendary Seve Ballesteros's tally of six. The Northern Irishman achieved the feat despite losing a playoff to Matt Fitzpatrick in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. McIlroy staged a dramatic late fightback with an eagle at the 72nd hole to force the playoff, but Fitzpatrick ultimately prevailed.
McIlroy told Sky Sports: “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 sits one behind record-holder Colin Montgomerie, who has eight titles. McIlroy set his sights on that mark, saying: “I want it, of course I do. 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 among a group of six players one shot behind McIlroy and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, carded a bogey-free round of 66 to force the playoff. After both players missed the green with their approach shots, Fitzpatrick emerged victorious. He said: “He [McIlroy] is one of only a few where you know you are going to a playoff. You are two clear with one to play and you know you are going to a playoff because he did it again in typical Rory fashion.”
Tommy Fleetwood tied for third place with Neergaard-Petersen and two others after a final round 67, while Tyrrell Hatton, who had a faint hope of denying McIlroy the Race to Dubai title, finished in a share of 14th.
