Rory McIlroy Equals Record with Emotional Race to Dubai Victory Dedicated to Father

Seventeen years after a similar experience in the pilot edition, Rory McIlroy entered the media centre at Earth Course beside the 18th green to witness the final moments of the Race to Dubai. Now a record-equalling eighth order of merit winner, the first European to achieve a career grand slam and a multiple Ryder Cup champion for Europe, McIlroy's presence is far from understated.

In 2009, McIlroy had watched from the press room window as Lee Westwood secured the first DP World Tour Championship and the maiden Race title. This time, the outcome was reversed. McIlroy managed to seize the title from rising Spanish star Eugenio Chacarra toward the end of the competition by the narrowest of margins.

As the victory was confirmed on the green, McIlroy was seen scrolling through his phone, perhaps seeking confirmation of his history-making achievement in equalling Colin Montgomerie's record of eight titles. The calculations were so complex that organizers flashed the consequences of each shot on screens, as McIlroy admitted he was unaware of the exact permutations himself.

Although he finished as the runner-up in the tournament behind Tyrell Hatton, McIlroy won the race by just 125 points over Chacarra. A tie for second would have resulted in a loss. Having secured the win, he fulfilled a poignant promise to his father, Gerry.

“My dad is a massive part of my life, and has been my biggest supporter,“ McIlroy stated. “He is the one that got me into the game and the one that told me to follow my dreams, never give up, and never think that you're not good enough or you're not big enough.“

McIlroy revealed that Gerry had been hospitalized for two months following a double lung transplant. Before traveling to the Middle East for the DP World Tour Play-offs in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, McIlroy had visited him, noting that his father was recovering well.

“It‘s been a stressful time for our family,“ McIlroy explained. “I've been up in Cleveland a lot because that's where he is. I didn't know if I was going to go to India [for a tournament last month] because I spent nine days in the ICU with him while he was recovering.“

He expressed gratitude for the medical team in Cleveland, describing the doctors and nurses as incredible. He shared that before leaving for Abu Dhabi, his father told him, “Rors, go and win me The Race to Dubai.“

“That was in my head for the last two weeks. I really wanted to do it for him and I know he's in his hospital bed, and he would have been watching this morning. It was nice to be able to get it done for him,“ McIlroy added.

The finish was described as one of the most nerve-racking in the history of the Race. Tyrell Hatton, after winning the DP World Tour Championship for the first time, praised McIlroy's legacy: “Rors has had a pretty special career. He's going to go down as the best European golfer in history by the end of his career. He's the first European to win the grand slam. He's now tied Monty winning eight Race to Dubai titles.“

Eugenio Chacarra finished tied for third, just two strokes away from tying with McIlroy and winning the Race. “It was a good fight, I just came out short,“ Chacarra remarked. “That's the beauty of golf. Obviously, when you play with the best in the world – he's played here 14, 15 times – you knew it was going to be tough. He had a better day than I did.“