McIlroy seeks 7th Race to Dubai title to cap a year of unforgettable wins

Rory McIlroy has already won the Masters to implicit the vocation Grand Slam, a location Irish Open and an distant Ryder Cup

The Masters to implicit the career Grand Slam. A location Irish Open. An distant Ryder Cup.

It has been a twelvemonth of unforgettable, career-defining wins for Rory McIlroy. There's a bully accidental it volition get adjacent amended successful Dubai this week successful the Northern Irishman's last lawsuit of the 2025 season.

The No. 2-ranked McIlroy volition look to beryllium crowned Europe's No. 1 subordinate for a fourth consecutive year erstwhile helium competes successful the European tour's season-ending World Tour Championship starting connected Thursday.

If McIlroy holds disconnected Marco Penge and Tyrrell Hatton — the lone players successful scope of overhauling him — helium volition triumph the Race to Dubai rubric for the seventh clip successful his vocation and determination wrong 1 of Colin Montgomerie's grounds haul.

Montgomerie won his season-long points titles — erstwhile it was called the Order of Merit — each twelvemonth from 1993-99 and again successful 2005.

McIlroy is tied connected six with the precocious Seve Ballesteros.

McIlroy leads the Race to Dubai standings. He is astir 767 points up of second-placed Penge and astir 1,720 points up of third-placed Hatton. There are 2,000 points connected connection for the victor astatine the Earth Course.

A triumph evidently guarantees McIlroy the title, arsenic would finishing 2nd alone.

For Penge — a three-time victor connected the circuit this twelvemonth — to overhaul McIlroy helium either needs to triumph and anticipation McIlroy finishes worse than 2nd alone, oregon decorativeness successful a necktie for 2nd and for McIlroy to beryllium down the leaderboard.

Hatton needs to triumph to basal immoderate accidental of an improbable title.

Penge's breakthrough play has already seen him fastener down 1 of the PGA Tour cards connected connection for the apical 10 players successful the Race to Dubai standings who are not different exempt.

The adjacent 9 players presently successful presumption are Kristoffer Reitan, John Parry, Adrien Saddier, Alex Noren, Laurie Canter, Li Haotong, Daniel Brown, Keita Nakajima and Jordan Smith.

The European circuit announced connected Tuesday a caller trophy — the Rory McIlroy Award — which volition beryllium presented to the subordinate who performs champion crossed each 4 majors successful a season.

The inaugural grant volition beryllium handed retired adjacent play and is successful grant of McIlroy being the archetypal European to implicit the vocation Grand Slam.

“To person thing named aft you, that volition beryllium presented to aboriginal generations of players, is simply a immense grant and it is precise humbling," McIlroy said.

“I hope,” helium added, “my occurrence tin animate different DP World Tour members to pursuit and execute their ain dreams for years to come.”

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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