Fitzpatrick beats McIlroy in a playoff, but Rory takes the Race to Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Rory McIlroy’s dream year culminated in a dramatic finish at the World Tour Championship, although not in the way he hoped. Despite achieving an eagle on the last hole to force a playoff, Matt Fitzpatrick took the victory, winning the championship for the third time. The consolation for McIlroy was his fourth consecutive Race to Dubai title, which crowned him as the best European player of the year. This achievement adds to his victories in the Masters, where he completed the career Grand Slam, the Players Championship and the Irish Open. All of his great individual victories were in playoffs, but this time, luck was not on his side. McIlroy sent his tee shot into the water on the first playoff hole, the 18th, and ultimately made bogey. Fitzpatrick, for his part, made par, thus securing his victory.

Obviously, you never like how things end, but I am delighted.

Matt Fitzpatrick

McIlroy generated the biggest ovation of the day by sinking a 15-foot putt for eagle on the 18th hole, completing a round of 67 strokes and tying with Fitzpatrick at 18 under par for the week. This type of play is already a hallmark of his career. For McIlroy, this is his seventh Race to Dubai title, surpassing Seve Ballesteros and being only one short of Colin Montgomerie’s record.

I didn’t get that far in my dreams, so it’s great.

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy revealed that he spoke with Ballesteros’ wife, Carmen, before his Sunday round. In addition, he expressed his desire to surpass Montgomerie’s record in terms of Order of Merit titles and season earnings.

The competition at the Earth Course was intense, with several players leading or sharing the lead for several hours. Fitzpatrick managed three birdies in his last five holes to surpass McIlroy and other European stars like Tommy Fleetwood and Ludvig Åberg. A 6-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole gave Fitzpatrick a lead over Fleetwood, Åberg and Laurie Canter, and two over McIlroy, who needed an eagle to tie. Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open champion, had a slow start to the season, but finished strong, securing a place on the Ryder Cup team thanks to his results at the British Masters, the European Masters and the BMW PGA Championship in September.

To turn it around in the summer like I did and to have a Ryder Cup like I had, I feel like it’s hard to top, given everything. But the way I played today, I feel like I didn’t really hit a bad shot all day. I’m very proud of myself, of the effort everyone puts in behind the scenes. Yeah, what a feeling.

Matt Fitzpatrick