Lawrence seeking to chase down ‘idol’ McIlroy in Race to Dubai

Thriston Lawrence says it would be the "cherry on the cake" to overtake his idol, Rory McIlroy, and claim the season-long Race to Dubai title.

The South African may not have a tournament win this season, but his consistent form has been remarkable, with ten top-10 finishes, including a runner-up spot at the prestigious BMW PGA Championship and a strong fourth-place showing at The Open.

Now, the 27-year-old sits in second place on the Race to Dubai Rankings, as the only player with a chance to catch McIlroy and secure the Harry Vardon Trophy, awarded to Europe’s No.1 golfer.

McIlroy’s 1,785.02-point lead in the standings means Lawrence must win this week’s DP World Tour Championship outright to have any shot at the title. Even then, it won’t be enough if McIlroy finishes solo 11th or better.

“It's nice to have a chance, obviously,” said Lawrence.

“It's going to take a lot. I think I need to win and Rory probably needs to finish outside the top 10. I haven't done the maths yet.

“But just incredible to have an opportunity. So, I'm very grateful just to be inside the Top-50 to be able to compete this week. It's been an unbelievable year, and yeah, Rory has been an idol for me since growing up as a youngster and being able to clinch it this week would be the cherry on the cake for myself.”

Thanks to his standout season, Lawrence has already locked in his PGA Tour card for next year - a reward granted to the top ten Race to Dubai players who aren’t otherwise exempt.

However, the opportunity to win the Race to Dubai and join legends like McIlroy, Sir Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and the late, great Seve Ballesteros in the history books is a whole new level of achievement.

With that kind of pressure riding on his shoulders, how does Lawrence mentally and tactically approach this week's challenge at Jumeirah Golf Estates?

“Mentally, well, I don't think I need to do much mover than I've done the last couple of years,” he said.

“I know the game is there. I think it's just don't chase it too hard from the start. You're going to see guys playing 8-, 9-under on Thursday.

“It's just telling yourself it's a four-round tournament and trying to make birdies every four or five holes and just think if you can get to 4- or 5-under every round, that's sort of what I need to do, and be aggressive as always.

“Try to stick to that game plan of not changing and being aggressive and being confident and see how that goes.”

Lawrence gets his tournament underway on Thursday alongside Rory McIlroy at 12:45pm.