Dubai: Rory McIlroy did the Dubai double by winning the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship, which in turn secured him the series-long Race to Dubai money-list, at Jumeirah Golf Estates on Sunday.
The 26-year — old Northern Irishman shot a final round of 66 to finish 21 under-par for the tournament, one stroke clear of next-placed Andy Sullivan of England.
This is McIlroy’s second DP World Tour Championship victory after also winning the year-ending event and moneylist double in 2012, and it’s also his third Race to Dubai win in four years.
He also wraps up another Dubai double of sorts by bookending the season with two Dubai wins after starting the season with victory in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in February.
Sullivan went into the last day with a one-stroke lead over McIlroy at 16 under par and immediately pulled a further two strokes clear of his rival come the fourth hole of his final round with two birdies on his opening two holes.
McIlroy had birdied the second but bogeyed the fourth to sit three strokes behind. However, the Ulsterman fought back with three straight birdies from holes five to seven.
Sullivan could only birdie five and six before a bogey on eighth left him just a stroke clear again come the ninth hole.
McIlroy then fired four birdies from holes 11 to 15, to overtake Sullivan, who could only birdie 11.
Two strokes clear of Sullivan, and appearing in cruise control, McIlroy then hit a wayward shot into the water on 17 and had to putt from 40 yards to save himself from a double bogey.
The four-time Major winner dropped to within a shot of Sullivan with one hole remaining. But luckily for McIlroy the drama ended there when both players parred at the last.
“That was definitely the best bogey of my career,” said McIlroy, who acknowledged things could have been much worse on the penultimate hole. “It’s definitely the longest putt I’ve ever made for bogey and I don’t think there’s ever been a bogey that’s ever come at a better time,” he joked.
“To be European No. 1 for the third time in four years, that was definitely a goal of mine at the start of the year.
“Obviously, I’m grateful to the European Tour for letting me be part of the Race to Dubai and letting me play here this week,” he said in reference to him not having to play the mandatory 13 events necessary to compete thanks to a medical exemption following an ankle injury, which reduced him to being able to play with just 12 tournaments.
“Even though I didn’t quite play the required minimum events, I was still able to take part and, thankfully, that was the case as it was a great way to finish the year,” he added.
