Rory McIlroy has ex-Ryder Cup captain in sights after matching Seve Ballesteros' record

Rory McIlroy won his sixth Race to Dubai rubric pursuing the DP World Tour Championship connected Sunday, matching the tally of 1 of Europe's champion successful Seve Ballesteros

Rory McIlroy has acceptable his sights connected becoming the astir succesful European golfer of each clip after winning yet different Race to Dubai title astatine the Earth Course connected Sunday.

McIlroy secured the DP World Tour's season-long crown for the 3rd play successful a enactment having travel retired connected apical astatine the run finale successful the Middle East. The Northern Irishman fended disconnected contention from Rasmus Hojgaard to triumph the lawsuit astatine 14-under-par, 2 shots up of the young Dane.

This saw the 35-year-old travel distant with his sixth Race to Dubai crown, matching the tally of 1 of the top European players of each clip in Seve Ballesteros.

The antheral with the astir Harry Vardon trophies is McIlroy's erstwhile Ryder Cup captain, Colin Montgomerie, who became Europe's apical golfer connected 8 occasions during an awesome vocation connected the DP World Tour. With plentifulness inactive near to connection astatine the apical level, McIlroy has the purpose of chasing down Montgomerie.

"I'm up for [chasing Colin Montgomerie down]. I've conscionable won my 3rd successful a enactment and I've truly made it a precedence with my docket implicit the past fewer years to springiness myself a accidental with the Race to Dubai and I don't spot that being immoderate antithetic for the foreseeable future.

"I'm going to spell for my seventh adjacent twelvemonth and effort and pursuit Monty down." McIlroy's words came aft helium was forced to combat backmost the tears, having drawn comparisons to the large Ballesteros. "It's truly cool," an affectional McIlroy said of equalling Ballesteros' record.

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"I deliberation everyone knows what Seve means to European golf and Ryder Cup players. In the European locker room, each we person our quotes from Seve, we person a changing country with a Seve garment from '95, the past Ryder Cup helium played. He means truthful overmuch to European play and for maine to beryllium mentioned successful the aforesaid breath, I'm precise proud."

His triumph successful the godforsaken brings to an extremity a topsy-turvy twelvemonth for the Northern Irishman, that included 4 victories but plentifulness of heartbreak. No much truthful than astatine the US Open successful June, wherever McIlroy fto a two-shot pb gaffe with conscionable 4 holes to play, allowing Bryson DeChambeau to swoop successful and go champion.

Elsewhere, helium endured near-misses astatine the Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship, but has ended his twelvemonth however helium would person liked with 2 trophies successful his hand. Off the people things person been acold from casual too, having announced helium was divorcing his woman Erica Stoll, earlier the brace went backmost connected their decision.

"It means a lot," helium claimed. "I've been done a batch this twelvemonth professionally, personally. It feels similar the fitting extremity to 2024." McIlroy celebrated with wife, Erica and their girl Poppy successful the aftermath, with the household posing for pictures with McIlroy's silverware pursuing the presentation.