Long before the final putt of the 2025 DP World Tour Championship fell, Rory McIlroy clinched his seventh Race to Dubai title. The Northern Irishman, who has won four consecutive European seasons and is second on the all-time list behind Colin Montgomerie (eight), was about to further strengthen his trophy case with a double win at the season finale of the European circuit as well as the annual race.
Instead, McIlroy lost on the first hole of the playoff to fellow Ryder Cup teammate and fellow European Matt Fitzpatrick, despite hitting an eagle after 72 holes. The British player posted a duel card in the 66-second range over the weekend and was through the peloton by the end of the tournament, finishing 72 holes at 18 under. A par on the first extra hole, the par-5 18th, was all Fitzpatrick needed to get past McIlroy and win his third DP World Tour Championship title.
“It means the world,” Fitzpatrick said of the win. “Obviously I struggled at the beginning of the year. And to turn it around in the summer like I did and have a Ryder Cup like I did, especially in a Ryder Cup, I feel like it’s hard to come out on top, all things considered. But watching how I played today, I really feel like I didn’t hit one bad shot all day. I’m so proud of myself and the effort that everyone has put in behind the scenes. What a feeling.”
McIlroy appeared to have the tournament in control, exiting the par-4 11th with a two-stroke lead with seven holes left. At this stage he had stretched his round to five under, but the 36-year-old then started to get better, adding squares on his scorecard on the 12th and 16th to slow the pace.
Beyond that, Fitzpatrick kept scratching and scratching, remembering his entire year. Fitzpatrick made a ton of pars in the middle of the round and birdied the 14th and 15th from 9 feet and 25 feet, respectively, before a storming finish that propelled him to the top of a crowded leaderboard featuring Tommy Fleetwood, Ludwig Oberg and Rory Canter.
When all three of them finished under 17 under, Fitzpatrick found himself in position to take a chance on the final hole. As McIlroy looked from the right side of the fairway with his 5-wood in hand and an eagle in mind, he moved up and down from the right side of the green to score 18 under.
McIlroy feathered his 5-wood perfectly and was poised for eagle. After receiving some guidance from playing partner Rasmus Nyrgaard-Petersen, McIlroy made his way to the putt, marching towards the hole and picking the ball up from below, again finding his best with precise timing.
“Of course you (think he’ll be successful),” Fitzpatrick said. “He’s probably one of the few guys who knows he’s going to go to the playoffs. He knows he’s going to win two and win one and go to the playoffs. In typical Rory fashion, he’s done it again. And obviously, you never like to see how it ends, but he’s obviously happy.”
He may not have had the same results as McIlroy in the playoffs, but he is inching closer to golf immortality. The seven-time Grand Slam champion, who won the Race to Dubai title, is currently award named after him — jumps straight into Montgomery’s rearview mirror, surpassing European legend Seve Ballesteros’ six titles.
“I said this on this green last year: (Seve) means a lot to this Tour and to the European Ryder Cup team,” McIlroy said. “We rallied around his spirit, his quotes and everything he put into European golf. It was cool to match him last year, but to surpass him this year, well, we couldn’t have gotten this far in our dreams. So it’s pretty cool.”
Montgomery’s record of eight includes seven straight from 1999 to 2005. McIlroy is in the midst of a heater of his own, winning four consecutive crowns dating back to 2022. He shows no signs of slowing down as he enters his late 30s, and it looks like he’s up for the challenge.
“I want it, of course I want it,” McIlroy said. “I caught up with (Montgomery) this week when he was here a few days ago, and I saw him. Look, it looks like I’m within reach. I want to be the winningest European in terms of medals of merit and races in a season. You know, I probably have a few good years left, so hopefully I can catch up with him and surpass him.”
