Rory McIlroy completed a wonderful Dubai double for the second time in his career, winning the season-ending DP World Tour Championship after an epic duel with Andy Sullivan and with it captured his third Race to Dubai crown in four years.
The Northern Irishman produced a magnificent six under par 66 to come out on top at the end of a captivating final round, overhauling overnight leader Sullivan and withstanding the pressure of Danny Willett, the only player who could prevent him winning The Race to Dubai.
McIlroy and Sullivan traded four birdies and a bogey apiece on the front nine, before McIlroy moved up a gear on the back nine as his rival began to run out of steam. He left the door ajar when he hit his tee shot in the water on the par three 17th, but made arguably the best bogey of his life, holing a putt from 35 feet to retain the lead before sealing victory with a par at the last.
The 26 year old came into the week with a 1,614-point lead over Willett in the Race to Dubai and needed to match whatever his rival did, but sealed his position emphatically in a repeat of 2012, the year he first won the season-long money list.
Willett put up a valiant fight, taking a share of fourth place with a two under par 70 in the final round, but could not stop the McIlroy juggernaut as the World Number Three returned to his magnificent best.
Rory McIlroy
“I’m happy that this was my last event of the year and I’ve done really well and I’ve ended the season on a high. I’m happy to put the clubs away for a while. I’ve played really good golf this week, 13 under par weekend, I couldn’t think of a better way to finish the season. I feel like my game and my putting has been gradually progressing throughout these last few weeks. It was nice to hole some putts over the weekend.
“I knew today wasn’t going to be easy. Andy was playing phenomenal golf over the first three days and from what little I saw on TV, it didn’t look like he was missing many putts. Then the birdie on 12 was huge to tie the lead, and then the two birdies on 14 and 15, when he didn’t make them, that gave me a nice little cushion going into the last three holes. Thankfully I rolled that putt in on 17. I guess if I had been tied playing the last, I would have backed myself with my length, but giving myself that one-shot cushion made a huge difference.”
Andy Sullivan
“It doesn’t really get any better than that. It was an awesome day. I gave it everything on the front nine, but just couldn’t quite get the putts to drop on the back nine. I didn’t really hit it close enough. To go head to head with someone of Rory’s quality was absolutely awesome and something that will stick with me for a long time. Every time he holed a putt, I holed one straight after. It was awesome fun to be in. I don’t know what it was like to watch but it was incredible to be a part of that.
“On 17 I thought ‘I’m back in this, I’ve got a chance again’. But I gave him a great read on my putt. I turned to Mac and said ‘I expect him to hole this’. That’s just the quality, world-class performer he is. I can take so much from this week, the way I’ve played and the way I’ve handled it, and in a world-class field – it’s the first time that I’ve really performed in such a big field.”
Danny Willett
“I started the day quickly like we’d hoped, but just hit a bit of a stale patch again on the last few holes. I didn’t finish great, but I guess if someone had told me I’d finish fourth and see where that gets me, I might have taken it. Rory’s played some great golf all week. He’s going to be a tough man to beat. So I hold my hands up and say I gave it my best shot, but unfortunately we are going to come up shy, but hopefully next year we’re in a similar position.”
