McIlroy equals Montgomerie record with eighth Race to Dubai title

Rory McIlroy finished ahead of Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra in the season-long standings to claim another Race to Dubai title. | Photo Credit: AP

Rory McIlroy clinched his eighth Race to Dubai title on Sunday, equalling Colin Montgomerie’s record for the most Order of Merit wins in European Tour history, and dedicated the feat to his father, who is recovering from surgery.

The 37-year-old from Northern Ireland shot a bogey-free 67 to wrap up a fifth successive Race to Dubai crown, finishing ahead of Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra in the season-long standings.

Meanwhile, England’s Tyrrell Hatton won the DP World Tour Championship comfortably, finishing five shots clear.

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The latest title added to a strong year for McIlroy, who defended his Masters title at Augusta National in April to claim a second green jacket and strengthen his standing among the sport’s greats.

“I don’t really know what to say. Winning eight Order of Merits was never really in my list of goals when I was growing up,” McIlroy told Sky Sports.

“I remember Monty (Montgomerie) being a stalwart of the European Tour. Going to watch him at the World Match Play at Wentworth over the years, I remember playing with him for the first time at the London Club on the European Tour in 2008.

“To pull up alongside him and win eight of these things, it means the world to me.

“I’m a proud European. I’m a proud European player and I’m proud to be a part of the DP World Tour and I’m very proud of myself right now.”

The milestone carried extra emotional weight for McIlroy, whose father has spent the last two months recovering from major surgery.

“He’s been in the hospital for the last two months. He underwent a huge operation at the end of September, and he’s recovering well, thankfully,” McIlroy said.

“But when I left to come here to the Middle East, I went up to Cleveland to see him before I went. He said to me: ‘Go win the Race to Dubai.’”