The DP World Tour Championship

Taking place annually on the Earth Course of the Jumeirah Golf Estate in Dubai, the DP World Tour Championship wraps up the season of golf and announces the winner of the season-long Race to Dubai. Matt Fitzpatrick narrowly beat Rory McIlroy in a playoff for victory while the Northern Irishman retained his Race to Dubai title.

It was a thrilling final day out in Dubai that saw multiple talented tour golfers jostling for position on the leaderboard. McIlroy started the day with a share of the lead but fell back due to bogeys on the 12th and 16^th holes. It was looking like Fitzpatrick’s trophy as he sat happily on 18-under par when McIlroy produced a magical eagle on his final hole to match his Ryder Cup teammate's score.

The duo took to the 18^th tee again for a sudden death playoff. It was certainly a nervy tee shot for McIlroy as he found the middle of the creek that runs lengthways through the 18^th fairway. His 3rd shot found the greenside bunker and he two-putted for a bogey. Wasting no time in taking advantage of his competitor’s misfortune, Fitzpatrick chipped his 4th shot just 3 feet from the hole and he comfortably found the back of the cup on his par putt, awarding him victory.

Matt Fitzpatrick secured himself a hat-trick at this year’s DP World Tour Championship having previously been victorious at the event in both 2016 and 2020. He was thrilled to have finished his season in winning style.

“It means the world. I struggled at the start of this year obviously, but to have turned it around in the summer like I did and have the Ryder Cup like I did, you know, Ryder Cup in particular feels like it’s hard to top given everything. But the way that I played today, I feel like I really hit like one bad shot all day, so you know I’m so proud of myself.”

Despite losing the tournament to Fitzpatrick, Rory secured the season-long Race to Dubai title for the fourth year in a row. With 7 Race to Dubai titles, he’s overtaken Seve Ballesteros’ record of 7 and sits just behind Collin Montgomerie’s achievement of 8. Another win in a momentous year for McIlroy, he was similarly ecstatic with his 4^th-in-a-row Race to Dubai win.

“He (Ballesteros) means so much to this tour and to the European Ryder Cup Team. We rally so much around his spirit and his quotes and everything he meant for European golf. To equal him last year was cool but to surpass him this year, I didn’t get this far in my dreams.”

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