Rory McIlroy has won his sixth Race to Dubai title after triumphing in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
The 35-year-old has now won three successive Race to Dubai crowns and his sixth overall — previously winning in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2022 and 2023 — to match the record of golfing legend Seve Ballesteros on the European tour.
McIlroy entered the season-closing tournament with a 1,785-point lead over closest challenger Thriston Lawrence, who needed to win the DP World Tour Championship and hope McIlroy finished outside the top 11 in Dubai if he were to win.
McIlroy won the trophy ahead of the South African by finishing two strokes ahead of Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard on 15-under at Jumeirah Golf Estates as he shot a three-under-par 69 in his final round. Hojgaard was level with McIlroy with four holes left to play but a superb approach shot allowed the Northern Irishman to birdie the 16th and pull ahead of the Dane, who then missed a birdie putt on the 18th before McIlroy sealed the win with one of his own.
“It means a lot because I have been through a lot this year, professionally and personally,” McIlroy told Sky Sports.
“It feels like the fitting end to 2024; there have been a lot of close calls where I haven’t been able to get it over the line, but this was a tough day when I could get the job done.”
McIlroy’s Race to Dubai win comes after he looked to be on the cusp of ending his 10-year wait for a major in June, but struggled in his final round at the US Open and lost to the American Bryson DeChambeau by one shot.
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When asked about equaling the Race to Dubai record held by the late Ballesteros, McIlroy became visibly tearful as he explained the significance.
“Everyone knows what Seve means to European golf and Ryder Cup players,” he said.
“In the European locker room, all we have are quotes from Seve — we have a changing room with a Seve shirt from ’95, the last Ryder Cup he played.
“He means so much to European golf and for me to be mentioned in the same breath as him…I’m very proud.”
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(Richard Heathcote / Getty Images)