Rory McIlroy makes heartfelt promise to wife Erica Stoll and daughter Poppy after chaotic year

Rory McIlroy has had an eventful twelvemonth connected and disconnected the people and helium sent a touching connection to his loved ones aft finishing the play successful cleanable benignant with different Race To Dubai title

Rory McIlroy admits helium is excited to enactment the play clubs distant and walk much clip with his wife, Erica Stoll, and their daughter, Poppy, aft a difficult twelvemonth for the family connected and disconnected the course.

McIlroy finished the play successful benignant connected Sunday, winning the DP World Tour Championship and securing his sixth Race To Dubai title successful the process. It was McIlroy's 4th triumph of the play – a large instrumentality for astir immoderate nonrecreational golfer connected the satellite – but it could person been truthful overmuch better, suffering agonising second-place finishes astatine the US Open, Irish Open and BMW Championship.

The missed accidental astatine Pinehurst No. 2 in June was peculiarly painful, giving up a two-shot pb implicit Bryson DeChambeau down the agelong to prolong the Ulsterman's 10-year hold for a large title victory.

Off the course, it has besides been a challenging year. On the eve of the PGA Championship successful May, McIlroy announced helium and Stoll were pursuing a divorce aft 7 years of marriage. His tribunal papers said their narration was "irretrievably broken".

A period later, however, the mates announced they had reconciled their differences. He said successful a statement: "Erica and I person realised that our champion aboriginal was arsenic a household together."

It was a wholesome country connected the 18th greenish astatine Jumeirah Golf Estates' Earth Course connected Sunday aft McIlroy held disconnected the situation from Rasmus Hojgaard by 2 shots. The 35-year-old was joined for pictures by Erica and four-year-old Poppy.

McIlroy was affectional arsenic helium sat down successful the DP World Tour's diary country for his closing thoughts connected a memorable week. "To person Erica and Poppy here, it means a lot," helium said.

"It’s the archetypal 1 they’ve been astatine successful a portion and for Poppy to beryllium aged capable present to benignant of recognize what is going on. I had to inquire her if I did win, would she travel retired onto the 18th greenish with me?

"Their enactment means the world to maine and to beryllium capable to amusement Poppy what happened and immoderate of the reasons possibly wherefore I’m not astir each of the clip due to the fact that I’m moving oregon practising, hopefully she realises oregon thinks it’s worthwhile that I’m not determination each nighttime for meal oregon for bedtime oregon immoderate it is. It’s unthinkable that they were present with maine this week and I’m excited to spell and observe with them."

McIlroy closed with a committedness to "more present" implicit the Christmas period, putting the clubs distant to bask immoderate household time.

"I’d accidental that I emotion them and I can’t hold for this small spot of offseason that we person now," helium said. "Poppy is precise excited for Santa to come, truthful I’m excited to walk a small spot much clip with them and observe the holidays and enactment the clubs distant for a portion truthful I’m hopefully a small much determination and a small much present. Hopefully they bask that."