Rory McIlroy has officially been confirmed as Race to Dubai champion for a sixth time and third successive year after another consistent season on the DP World Tour.
McIlroy arrived at the DP World Tour Championship with a 1,785-point advantage in the season-long standings, having won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and added four runner-up finishes during his DP World Tour campaign.
The 35-year-old claimed a share of third at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship the previous week to extend his lead over closest challenger Thriston Lawrence, leaving the South African requiring a victory and for McIlroy to finish outside the top-11 in Dubai snatch the season-long title.
The four-time DP World Tour winner's hopes quickly faded with rounds of 73 and 71 over the first two days at Jumeirah Golf Estates, with McIlroy's status as Race to Dubai champion officially confirmed when Lawrence ended the week on one under after a final-round 74 and out of contention for tournament victory.
McIlroy securing the Harry Vardon Trophy follows his Race to Dubai successes in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2022 and 2023 and matches the tally Ballesteros won during his record-breaking career, with the world No 3 now within two of Colin Montgomerie's all-time record of eight Order of Merit titles.
McIlroy finished his 2024 in style with two trophies on Sunday after winning the season-ender in Dubai with a final-round 69 that saw off Rasmus Hojgaard by two shots.
He was emotional afterwards when asked about what matching his idol Ballesteros meant to him.
"It's really cool," he said, fighting back the tears.
"I think everyone knows what Seve means to European golf and Ryder Cup players. In the European locker room, all we have are quotes from Seve, we have a changing room with a Seve shirt from '95, the last Ryder Cup he played.
"He means so much to European golf and for me to be mentioned in the same breath, I'm very proud."
He added: "I'm up for [chasing Colin Montgomerie down]. I've just won my third in a row and I've really made it a priority with my schedule over the last few years to give myself a chance with the Race to Dubai and I don't see that being any different for the foreseeable future.
"I'm going to go for my seventh next year and try and chase Monty down."
The Northern Irishman lost out by a shot at the season-opening Dubai Invitational, finishing tied-second behind Tommy Fleetwood after a final-hole bogey, only to bounce back a week later to successfully defend his Hero Dubai Desert Classic title.
He extended his wait for a career Grand Slam at The Masters, ending tied-22nd as Scottie Scheffler raced to victory, with McIlroy failing to build on a strong start to the PGA Championship and finishing the week in a share of 12th.
McIlroy's best chance to end his major drought came at the US Open, where he squandered a two-shot lead over the closing holes to finish second behind Bryson DeChambeau, a finish he described as the "toughest day" of his 17-year professional career.
He did not return to competitive action until his Genesis Scottish Open title defence a month later, where he claimed a share of fourth as Robert MacIntyre registered a home win, but then suffered a shock missed cut in The Open after rounds of 78 and 75 at Royal Troon.
McIlroy failed to convert a final-round lead on home soil at the Amgen Irish Open, ending second after Rasmus Hojgaard birdied four of his last five holes, then lost out to Billy Horschel in a play-off the following week at the BMW PGA Championship.
A tied-25th finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship was the only regular DP World Tour event this season that McIlroy finished worse than fifth, with a tied-third at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship coming before wrapping up Race to Dubai glory in Dubai.
McIlroy's tally of four major titles is currently three behind Harry Vardon, two behind Faldo and one behind Ballesteros in the race to be the most successful European male golfer in history, with the former world No 1 confident of getting closer to their totals and also surpassing Montgomerie's Order of Merit record.
"I would like to go down as the most successful European of all time," McIlroy said ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship earlier this month. "Obviously Race to Dubai wins would count to that but also major championships and hopefully I've got a few more Ryder Cups ahead of me as well.
"That's something that I would like to do and I think is a goal that's quite attainable over the next 10 years. I'm very proud to be from Europe and have played on this tour [DP World Tour] and played on this tour consistently."
On how many Race to Dubai titles he could add, McIlroy said ahead of the season finale: "I think I'm focused on one year at a time. The last couple years I've recommitted to trying to win The Race to Dubai. I probably didn't play enough on the DP World Tour for a few years to really give myself a chance.
"I've really tried to recommit to making it something that's important to me. It's a pretty meaningful thing to do. You know, obviously trying to get to Monty's [Colin Montgomerie]'s number of eight, or maybe surpass, is definitely a goal in the future."
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