It was a finish for the ages at the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Earth Course in Dubai as Rory McIlroy drained a 15-foot putt for Eagle to earn a spot in a play-off for a title defense and his fourth DP World Tour Championship.
Fitzpatrick started the final round one ahead of McIlroy’s co-lead, but asserted himself early, making three birdies in his first five holes. He eventually signed for a round of 66 and reached a total of 18 under par in four rounds. Laurie Canter, Ludvig Aberg, Tommy Fleetwood and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen finished one shot behind.
‘It means the world’ Fitzpatrick said of his win after his round. “I was obviously struggling at the beginning of this year, and to turn it around in the summer like I did and have a Ryder Cup like I did… especially the Ryder Cup, I feel like it’s hard to top everything. But the way I played today, I feel like I really didn’t make a single bad shot all day. I’m so proud of myself, the effort that everyone puts in behind the scenes. Yeah, what a feeling. What a feeling.”
For McIlroy, second place was enough to earn him a seventh Race to Dubai trophy. The achievement is his fourth consecutive season title, surpassing Seve Ballesteros’ six and just one step away from Colin Montgomerie’s record of eight.
“I was the first European to win the Grand Slam and I would love to be the most successful European when it comes to winning the Order of Merits and seasonal races,” McIlroy said Sunday. “I hopefully still have a few good years left in me, and hopefully I can catch Montgomerie and surpass him.”
The DP World Tour season is now complete after 42 tournaments. But there is only a short one week break between seasons. The Tour starts again with the “opening swing” in Australia on November 27.
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