A tearful Rory McIlroy admitted he "did not get this far in my dreams" after he clinched his seventh order of merit title at the DP World Tour Championship.
McIlroy entered the final round tied for the lead with Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen but pulled away from the chasing pack early.
Birdies in four out of his first five holes gave McIlroy a comfortable lead and by the 11th hole he led by two strokes, but he was reeled in on a chaotic final day in Dubai.
In the end, McIlroy was forced to hole an eagle on the 72nd hole to force a play-off with his Ryder Cup teammate Matthew Fitzpatrick.
Both players finished on a total of 18-under par, one clear of Laurie Canter, Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Aberg and the aforementioned Neergaard-Petersen.
McIlroy could only manage a bogey six on the first play-off hole and lost the tournament overall to Fitzpatrick.
The consolation for McIlroy was that he sealed the Race to Dubai for the seventh occasion and fourth year in a row.
He has now surpassed Seve Ballesteros' record and moved one step closer to matching Colin Montgomerie's haul of eight.
McIlroy was reduced to tears in the immediate aftermath as he paid tribute to Fitzpatrick for the win as well as Montgomerie and Ballesteros.
It caps off a truly remarkable year in which he won The Masters, Players Championship, Irish Open and helped Europe win the Ryder Cup on away soil for the first time since 2012.
"I had a conversation with Carmen [Ballesteros' former wife] before I went out to play and she told me how proud he would have been," he told Sky Sports.
"He means so much to this Tour and the European Ryder Cup team. We rally so much around his spirit, his quotes and everything he meant for European golf.
"To surpass him this year, I did not get this far in my dream."
Of Montgomerie's record, McIlroy said: "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 season-long races."
1 | Matthew Fitzpatrick | -18 |
2 | Rory McIlroy | -18 |
3 | Ludvig Aaberg | -17 |
3 | Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen | -17 |
3 | Laurie Canter | -17 |
3 | Tommy Fleetwood | -17 |
7 | Rasmus Hoejgaard | -15 |
8 | Angel Ayora | -14 |
8 | Haotong Li | -14 |
8 | Robert MacIntyre | -14 |
11 | Jacob Skov Olesen | -13 |
11 | Shane Lowry | -13 |
11 | Nicolai Hoejgaard | -13 |
Canter -15 (5)
A birdie putt inside 10 feet drops for Laurie Canter.
He's now in a share of the lead with Rory McIlroy.
Rose -13 (6)
Justin Rose hit the shot of the day so far on the fifth hole, almost holing his approach.
He's just found another birdie on the sixth, this time from 49 feet with the flat stick.
"Wow, Justin Rose!" #DPWTC | #RolexSeriespic.twitter.com/KNPpDNu4G9
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 16, 2025
T. Fleetwood -11 (5)
Tommy Fleetwood is not having a good week with the putter.
Another good look at birdie over at the fifth just slides by the cup.
Li -12 (7)
After a terrific start, Haotong Li has just made a right mess of the par-five seventh.
He's forced to chip out sideways after hitting a wayward drive, then finds the greenside bunker.
His fifth flew way beyond the flag and, in the end, takes two putts to escape with a double.
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McIlroy -15, Neergaard (2)
McIlroy's approach into the par-five second comes to rest at the back of the green and he has a slope to navigate. He judges it well and his eagle try eventually stops about 10 feet past the cup.
He confidently rolls it in the middle of the cup.
He leads by one.
His tee shot at the third finds the left rough...
Lovely wedge from McIlroy at the opening hole.
Anyone would suggest he is feeling it this morning...
An opening birdie for Rory #DPWTC | #RolexSeriespic.twitter.com/uco7dlg82m
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 16, 2025
Hatton -11 (3)
Rough start for Tyrrell Hatton here, with two bogeys in his first three holes.
McIlroy -14, Neergaard -13 (1)
A brilliant wedge at the opening hole from McIlroy settles around 12 feet from the hole.
And he rattles home an opening birdie to jump into a share of the lead with Haotong Li and Laurie Canter on 14-under.
Li -14 (5)
China's Haotong Li has made a superb start here this morning, hitting four birdies in his opening five holes to move out in front.
-13 McIlroy, -13 Neergaard
The final group is away.
McIlroy finds the short stuff with his tee shot. Likewise Neergaard.
