DUBAI (The Thursday Times) — Rory McIlroy won a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title on Sunday, finishing second at the DP World Tour Championship to edge Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra by 125 points in the season-long standings, while England’s Tyrrell Hatton won the tournament itself by five shots.
Hatton, who took a one-shot lead into the final round, finished 15 under par on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates for his ninth DP World Tour victory and sixth Rolex Series win. McIlroy closed with a bogey-free 67 to end on 10 under, in outright second place. Chacarra shared third on eight under, which left him second in the Race to Dubai.
Title decided late
Chacarra, who started the day leading the standings, and McIlroy traded the top spot down the back nine, and at one point just a tenth of a point separated them. Chacarra, 26, is the only three-time winner on the tour this season. He dropped three shots in four holes around the turn before recovering with two late birdies, but a share of third was not enough.
McIlroy said he had not realised how tight the race was until two holes from home. “I did what I needed to do, I shot a good score and a lot of other things went my way,” he said.
The title is McIlroy’s fifth in a row and draws him level with Colin Montgomerie’s long-standing record. He first won the Race to Dubai in 2012. “To pull up alongside him means the world to me,” he said of Montgomerie. Hatton’s win lifted him to third in the final standings.
A win for his father
McIlroy dedicated the title to his father, Gerry, who has spent two months in hospital after a major operation at the end of September and is recovering well. McIlroy was in tears as he spoke about their last conversation before he travelled to the Middle East.
“I went up to Cleveland to see him before I went and he said to me: ‘Go and win the Race to Dubai.’ This one is for him,” McIlroy said.
Asked about his next target, McIlroy said he wanted “double digits”, adding that he would love to pass Montgomerie next year. The task could be harder in 2027, with several former LIV Golf players, including Hatton, set to play a full European schedule.
