An emotional Rory McIlroy hailed surpassing Seve Ballesteros by profitable a seventh Race to Dubai title as greater than he ever dreamed of.
McIlroy was crushed in a play-off by Matt Fitzpatrick within the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, having staged a dramatic late fightback with an eagle on the closing gap.
Whereas his Ryder Cup teammate celebrated a 3rd win within the occasion, the Northern Irishman clinched the season-long crown to eclipse the late Ballesteros’ tally of six and transfer one behind record-holder Colin Montgomerie.
McIlroy advised Sky Sports activities: “It is superb, I had a dialog with Carmen [Ballesteros’ ex-wife] earlier than I went out to play right now and he or she advised me how proud he would have been.
“He means a lot to this Tour and the European Ryder Cup crew. We rally a lot round his spirit and round his quotes and the whole lot he meant for European golf.
“To equal him final yr was cool, however to surpass him this yr, I did not get this far in my desires, so it’s extremely cool.”
McIlroy additionally set his sights on Montgomerie’s mark, including: “I need it [eight titles], in fact I do. I used to be the primary European to win the Grand Slam and I might like to be the European with essentially the most wins by way of the Order of Benefit and season-long races.”
Fitzpatrick had began the ultimate day amongst a gaggle of six gamers who had been one shot behind McIlroy and Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen.
McIlroy started the ultimate spherical in model and moved clear on the prime of the leaderboard after going 4 beneath via the primary seven holes.
However, as he stumbled, Fitzpatrick put himself in pole place for victory by touchdown a birdie on the final to finish a bogey-free spherical of 66 to go away each McIlroy and Neergaard-Petersen requiring eagles to pressure a play-off.
– Rory McIlroy loses playoff to Matt Fitzpatrick, wins Euro title
Whereas the Dane faltered, the Masters champion sunk his putt from round 15 toes to increase the event into additional time, but it surely was Fitzpatrick who prevailed after each gamers missed the inexperienced with their respective method photographs.
Fitzpatrick mentioned: “He [McIlroy] is one in every of only some the place you understand you’re going to a play-off. You might be two clear with one to play and you understand you’re going to a play-off as a result of he did it once more in typical Rory vogue.
“I struggled in the beginning of the yr, clearly, and to show it spherical in the summertime like I did, have the Ryder Cup like I did which is tough to prime, however the way in which I performed right now — there was one unhealthy shot all day. So pleased with myself.”
Tommy Fleetwood was in a gaggle of 4 gamers, together with Neergaard-Petersen, who tied for third place after a closing spherical 67, whereas Tyrrell Hatton, the one man to start out the ultimate day with a faint hope of denying McIlroy the Race to Dubai title, fell away to complete in a share of 14th.
