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Golf-McIlroy wins DP World Tour Champion and sixth Race to Dubai title

World number 3 Rory McIlroy ended the season on a high by winning the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on Sunday, two strokes ahead of Rasmus Hojgaard, to seal his 6th Race to Dubai title.

The 35-year-old Northern Irishman carded a 69 in the final round at the Jumeirah Golf Estates to finish on 15 under par after two birdies in the final 3 holes saw off the challenge of Denmark's Hojgaard.

McIlroy equalled the six titles won by the late Seve Ballesteros in the European Tour's season-long Race to Dubai, formerly called the Order of Merit. Scotland's Colin Montgomerie holds the record with eight triumphes.

It's truly cool, I think everyone understands what Seve suggests to European golf, to Ryder cup players, a noticeably emotional McIlroy said.

The European Ryder Cup locker space, all we have are quotes of Seve, we had an altering room with Seve's shirt from 1995 the last Ryder Cup he played.

He indicates a lot to European golf and for me to be mentioned in the exact same breath I'm extremely happy.

McIlroy came into the final tournament well on course to clinch his third succeeding Race to Dubai title, with a lead of 1,785.02 points over second-placed South African Thriston Lawrence, who finished well down the field on one under par.

McIlroy started the last round level with Hojgaard and Antoine Rozner of France on 12 under but Rozner's challenge faded with a double bogey on the ninth.

Both McIlroy and Hojgaard bogeyed the opening hole but the Northern Irishman followed that with 4 consecutive birdies before another bogey on the ninth left McIlroy with a one-shot lead heading into the back 9.

A bogey for McIlroy on the 13th allowed Hojgaard to draw level once again but the four-times major champ completed strongest and the Dane wound up third in the Race to Dubai.

Shane Lowry's four-under-par round gave the Irishman a share of 3rd place together with Rozner and Australia's Adam Scott.

McIlroy, who lost the U.S. Open in June to Bryson DeChambeau by one stroke, had actually currently won three prizes throughout the PGA and European Tours in 2024, the Dubai Desert Classic, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans along with Lowry and the Wells Fargo Championship.

I have actually been through a lot this year, expertly, personally. It feels like the fitting end to 2024, McIlroy stated.

I've persevered this year a lot, had close calls, wasn't able to get it done, so to be able to overcome the line, luckily I hung on in a difficult day and got the job done.

(source: Reuters)