Yet McIlroy found the penalty area on the first play-off hole, and then the bunker. He could not conjure another long putt and so Fitzpatrick closed out for the victory in Dubai with a five on the par-five 18th.
The Northern Irishman has now won seven Order of Merits, which moves him one ahead of Seve Ballesteros and one behind Colin Montgomerie.
The Race to Dubai, formerly known as the European Tour’s Order of Merit, is a competition where golfers accumulate points from DP World Tour events and major championships during the season.
An emotional McIlroy spoke afterwards about surpassing Ballesteros, saying the late Spaniard “means so much to this tour and the European Ryder Cup team” and “we rally around his spirit”.
An emotional Rory McIlroy on surpassing Seve Ballesteros' record for the most Race to Dubai titles 🗣️❤️ pic.twitter.com/GvcALEU13N
Shane Lowry finished in a tie for 11th on 13 under par. He shot a final day round of 69. A final day 67 moved Tom McKibbin up to a tie for 16th on 11 under par.
Fitzpatrick had started the final day among a group of six players who were one shot behind McIlroy and fellow joint leader, Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen.
He put himself in pole position for victory after landing a birdie on the final hole to complete a bogey-free round of 66 to leave both McIlroy and Neergaard-Petersen requiring eagles to force a play-off.
While the Dane faltered, the Northern Irishman sunk his putt from around 15 feet to extend the tournament into extra time – but it was Fitzpatrick who prevailed after both players missed the green with their respective approach shots.
Fitzpatrick told Sky Sports: “He (McIlroy) is one of only a few where you know you are going to a play-off. You are two clear with one to play and you know you are going to a play-off because he did it again in typical Rory fashion.
“I struggled at the start of the year obviously and to turn it round in the summer like I did, have the Ryder Cup like I did which is hard to top but the way I played today – there was one bad shot all day. So proud of myself.”
Tommy Fleetwood was in a group of four players, including Neergaard-Petersen, who tied for third place after a final round 67, while Tyrrell Hatton, the only man to start the final day with a faint hope of denying McIlroy the Road to Dubai title, fell away to finish in a share of 14th.
McIlroy expressed some degree of disappointment, having started the final round in style and moving clear at the top of the leaderboard after going four-under through the first seven holes.
But he expressed pride at surpassing the late Ballesteros – a six-time Race to Dubai winner – and set his sights on catching and surpassing Montgomerie.
He said: “I want it (eight titles), of course I do. I was the first European to win the Grand Slam and I would love to be the European with the most wins in terms of the Order of Merit and season long races.”
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Rory McIlroy wins Race to Dubai with second-place finish at DP World Tour Championship
LAST UPDATE | 16 Nov 2025
RORY McILROY HAS won his fourth Race to Dubai in a row after finishing second at the DP World Tour Championship.
McIlroy forced a play-off with Matt Fitzpatrick with a stunning eagle putt on the 18th. The pair finished the regulation championship on 18 under par.
Yet McIlroy found the penalty area on the first play-off hole, and then the bunker. He could not conjure another long putt and so Fitzpatrick closed out for the victory in Dubai with a five on the par-five 18th.
The Northern Irishman has now won seven Order of Merits, which moves him one ahead of Seve Ballesteros and one behind Colin Montgomerie.
The Race to Dubai, formerly known as the European Tour’s Order of Merit, is a competition where golfers accumulate points from DP World Tour events and major championships during the season.
An emotional McIlroy spoke afterwards about surpassing Ballesteros, saying the late Spaniard “means so much to this tour and the European Ryder Cup team” and “we rally around his spirit”.
Shane Lowry finished in a tie for 11th on 13 under par. He shot a final day round of 69. A final day 67 moved Tom McKibbin up to a tie for 16th on 11 under par.
Fitzpatrick had started the final day among a group of six players who were one shot behind McIlroy and fellow joint leader, Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen.
He put himself in pole position for victory after landing a birdie on the final hole to complete a bogey-free round of 66 to leave both McIlroy and Neergaard-Petersen requiring eagles to force a play-off.
While the Dane faltered, the Northern Irishman sunk his putt from around 15 feet to extend the tournament into extra time – but it was Fitzpatrick who prevailed after both players missed the green with their respective approach shots.
Fitzpatrick told Sky Sports: “He (McIlroy) is one of only a few where you know you are going to a play-off. You are two clear with one to play and you know you are going to a play-off because he did it again in typical Rory fashion.
“I struggled at the start of the year obviously and to turn it round in the summer like I did, have the Ryder Cup like I did which is hard to top but the way I played today – there was one bad shot all day. So proud of myself.”
Tommy Fleetwood was in a group of four players, including Neergaard-Petersen, who tied for third place after a final round 67, while Tyrrell Hatton, the only man to start the final day with a faint hope of denying McIlroy the Road to Dubai title, fell away to finish in a share of 14th.
McIlroy expressed some degree of disappointment, having started the final round in style and moving clear at the top of the leaderboard after going four-under through the first seven holes.
But he expressed pride at surpassing the late Ballesteros – a six-time Race to Dubai winner – and set his sights on catching and surpassing Montgomerie.
He said: “I want it (eight titles), of course I do. I was the first European to win the Grand Slam and I would love to be the European with the most wins in terms of the Order of Merit and season long races.”
You can view the leaderboard here
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consistent four in a row Golf Rory McIlroy