McIlroy clinches record title despite playoff to | Golf News

Rory McIlroy narrowly missed a $3 million windfall after stumbling at the ultimate stage of the DP World Championship. The Northern Irish golfer was main the pack as they entered the last day of play on the Earth Course, with his sights set on the hefty winner’s prize.

However, a string of missteps on the back 9 at Jumeirah put him in a starkly different place as he neared the 18th gap. Going into the par-five gap at T5 alongside Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen with an total rating of 16-under par, McIlroy needed an eagle to power a playoff with Matt Fitzpatrick.

This was due to the fact that just moments before, the English golfer had sunk a birdie to pull forward from a tie with Ludvig Aberg, Laurie Canter, and Tommy Fleetwood, placing him at 18-under and alone at the top of the leaderboard. Despite reaching the inexperienced in two, the hole between McIlroy’s ball and the outlet demanded absolute precision and velocity to land wherever close to the cup, let alone go in.

Nevertheless, McIlroy demonstrated to golf fans around the globe precisely why he’s thought-about one of the best by securing the required eagle to enter a tie-breaker with Fitzpatrick. The playoff noticed McIlroy and Fitzpatrick replay the 18th, with the 31-year-old teeing off first.

Although his tee shot discovered the tough on the left aspect, it was in a considerably better spot than McIlroy’s – as the 36-year-old noticed his ball splash into the water hazard cutting through the middle of the green. Fitzpatrick managed to clear the water himself, though his ball once more settled in the tough, presenting McIlroy with a prime alternative to get better from a penalty drop 234 yards away.

However, the shot drifted proper, ending in a greenside bunker at the entrance of the inexperienced. Spectators gasped as Fitzpatrick then missed the placing floor with his third shot, discovering the perimeter instantly in entrance of McIlroy’s ball, once more handing the Northern Ireland star a probability to struggle his manner back into competition.

McIlroy confronted a related place to his playoff-forcing eagle, maybe barely additional away, needing stable execution to salvage par. Fitzpatrick’s fourth shot got here to relaxation significantly nearer to the cup, only intensifying the strain on the putt – with McIlroy falling marginally short of what was needed.

Following that, Fitzpatrick sank his own par putt to declare the DP World Championship for the third time. Discussing what derailed him during Sunday’s spherical, a dejected McIlroy said: “Got off to the perfect start, three-under through five, four-under through seven.

“Felt like I’d type of taken control of the golf event, was a couple forward and then I made two bogeys on the way in which in on 12 and 16 and did not birdie 14 and 15, the birdie holes. Obviously knew I needed one thing to occur on the last. I really hit a great shot on 17, got here up a little short on a great putt then lipped out. But yeah, I knew what I needed to do. I hit a great 5 wooden, fortunate to see Rasmus’ putt before mine, noticed his type of frolicked to the precise a little bit before it began to flip so acquired a bit of a read from him.

“And yeah, look, a great way to finish. It was nice to be able to summon what I needed to to make the play-off. But unfortunately hitting it in the water there on 18 in the play-off just sort of put me behind the eight-ball, but happy for Matt. He’s had a great end to the season.

“Played great to get on the Ryder Cup group, and then he is type of saved it going since. So actually pleased for him as properly.”

Despite narrowly lacking out on the DP World Championship title, which still netted him a £912,000 prize for his runner-up end, McIlroy can discover consolation in securing his seventh Race to Dubai crown and the £1.5m bonus that accompanies the achievement. McIlroy entered the World Championship in prime place to declare the award, having accrued 4,640.06 factors across 10 tournaments, with Marco Penge and Tyrrell Hatton requiring a number of eventualities to fall their manner to overtake him.

Despite including an further 1,335 factors to his seasonal tally, McIlroy was ready to secure a seventh Race to Dubai title, surpassing the record he beforehand held with the late Seve Ballesteros. He now trails Colin Montgomerie, who holds a record eight wins.