Mcilroy Emotional After Overtaking Ballesteros With Seventh Race To Dubai Title

An affectional Rory McIlroy hailed surpassing Seve Ballesteros by winning a seventh Race to Dubai title arsenic much than he ever dreamed of. McIlroy was beaten successful a playoff by Matt Fitzpatrick successful nan season-ending DP World Tour Championship successful Dubai, having staged a melodramatic precocious fightback pinch an eagle astatine nan last hole.

While his Ryder Cup teammate celebrated a 3rd triumph successful nan event, nan Northern Irishman clinched nan season-long crown to eclipse nan precocious Ballesteros’ tally of six and move 1 down record-holder, Colin Montgomerie. McIlroy told Sky Sports: “It’s amazing, I had a speech pinch Carmen [Ballesteros’s ex-wife] earlier I went retired to play coming and she told maine really proud he would person been.

“He intends truthful overmuch to this Tour and nan European Ryder Cup team. We rally truthful overmuch astir his tone and astir his quotes and everything he meant for European golf. To adjacent him past twelvemonth was cool, but to surpass him this year, I didn’t get this acold successful my dreams, truthful it’s very cool.”

McIlroy besides group his sights connected Montgomerie’s mark, adding: “I want it [eight titles], of people I do. I was nan first European to triumph nan expansive slam and I would emotion to beryllium nan European pinch nan astir wins successful position of nan bid of merit and season-long races.”

Fitzpatrick had started nan last time among a group of six players who were 1 changeable down McIlroy and Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen. McIlroy began nan last information successful style and moved clear astatine nan apical of nan leaderboard aft going 4 nether done nan first 7 holes.

But, arsenic he stumbled, Fitzpatrick put himself successful rod position for triumph by landing a birdie astatine nan past to complete a bogey-free information of 66 to time off McIlroy and Neergaard-Petersen requiring eagles to unit a playoff.

While nan Dane faltered, nan Masters champion sank his putt from astir 15 feet to widen nan tourney into other time, but it was Fitzpatrick who prevailed aft some players missed nan greenish pinch their attack shots.

Fitzpatrick said: “He [McIlroy] is 1 of only a fewer wherever you cognize you are going to a playoff. You are 2 clear pinch 1 to play and you cognize you are going to a playoff because he did it again successful emblematic Rory fashion.

“I struggled astatine nan commencement of nan year, obviously, and to move it information successful nan summertime for illustration I did, person nan Ryder Cup for illustration I did which is difficult to top, but nan measurement I played coming – location was 1 bad changeable each day. So proud of myself.”

Tommy Fleetwood was successful a group of 4 players, including Neergaard-Petersen, who tied for 3rd spot aft a last information 67, while Tyrrell Hatton, nan only man to commencement nan last time pinch a faint dream of denying McIlroy nan Race to Dubai title, fell distant to decorativeness successful a stock of 14th.