An emotional Rory McIlroy paid tribute to Seve Ballesteros after eclipsing the Spaniard by clinching his seventh Race to Dubai title, despite being beaten to the DP World Tour Championship by Matt Fitzpatrick.
McIlroy now sits just one behind Colin Montgomerie’s record of winning the European tour’s season-long race eight times.
For a long time on Sunday it looked like McIlroy would also win the final event of the DP World Tour’s season, holding a two-shot lead before faltering down the stretch as Fitzpatrick surged into the lead with a birdie on the last.
That left McIlroy needing to hole a 15-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole to force a play-off with his European Ryder Cup team-mate.
And, as he did at the Irish Open in September, McIlroy roared with delight after erasing the two-shot deficit.
But unlike in Ireland, McIlroy was unable to win the play-off, with Fitzpatrick tapping in a short par putt to claim his third victory in the event.
