Rory McIlroy finished the 2024 season in style after claiming his sixth Race to Dubai title following victory at the DP World Tour Championship.
The Northern Irishman only needed a top-11 finish at Jumeirah Golf Estates to reach the summit of the season rankings, with South African Thriston Lawrence the only player able to deny him with a win in Dubai.
However, Lawrence’s challenge never materialised and when he came home in one under par for the event, McIlroy secured his third-successive Race to Dubai crown with five holes left in his final round.
McIlroy had spoken about wanting to be stood on the final green on Sunday with both trophies and he was in the midst of a two-way battle for the title with Rasmus Hojgaard at 13 under when his end-of-season victory was confirmed.
The world number three had earlier burst into a three-shot lead after four-successive birdies from the second hole and looked in total control.
Bogeys at the ninth and 13th saw him slip back to 13 under, with Hojgaard joining him at the summit.
However, a stunning approach into the 16th saw him move back in front before closing with a birdie to seal his third victory at Jumeirah Golf Estates by two shots.
“It means a lot. I’ve been through a lot this year, professionally, personally and it feels like a fitting end to 2024,” McIlroy said.
“I’ve persevered a lot this year, had close calls and couldn’t get it done. So to be able to get over the line, I’m really pleased with the way I finished and thankfully I hung in on a tough day and got it done.
“It’s been a long year, my 27th tournament, which is a lot to me. Looking forward to a little bit of downtime.
“I have a lot of friends and my family here in Dubai, so I’m sure we’ll have a good night tonight.”
McIlroy became emotional when speaking about his achievement of joining Seve Ballesteros into second place on the all-time list with his sixth order of merit triumph.
Only Colin Montgomerie’s tally of eight lies ahead of him and the 35-year-old has set himself the target of closing down the Scot, starting in 2025.
“It’s really cool,” he added. “I think everyone knows what Seve means to European golf and to Ryder Cup players.
“He means so much to European golf and for me to be mentioned in the same breath, I’m very proud.
“I’ve just won my third in a row and I’ve really made it a priority of my schedule over the last few years to give myself the best chance coming into the end of the year to win the Race to Dubai.
“I don’t see that being any different for the foreseeable future. You know, I’m going to go for my seventh next year and try to chase Monty down.”
Tyrrell Hatton, who finished five shots adrift of McIlroy in solo sixth, appeared to have a message written on his glove for the DP World Tour following his outburst during his third round.
The LIV Golf player was labelled a “terrible influence” by veteran commentator Ewen Murray for his petulance after snapping a club and making foul-mouthed complaints about course conditions in Dubai.
A DP World Tour spokesperson told the PA news agency on Saturday that Hatton’s behaviour had breached its code of conduct and the player would be fined as a result.
Hatton had ‘be nice’ accompanied by a smiling face written on his glove as he carded a final-round 71, one shot clear of Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, who finished in a tie for seventh at nine under.
