A 500-point hole with one event to play
Rory McIlroy has owned the Race to Dubai for four straight seasons. This year he arrives at the finale in second place, roughly 500 points behind Eugenio Chacarra, and he says so plainly: he will need his absolute best at the DP World Tour Championship to reel the Spaniard in.
McIlroy spoke to reporters on Tuesday at Jumeirah Golf Estates, where tee times open on Thursday. A win would give him an eighth Order of Merit and level Colin Montgomerie’s record. He has seven so far, the first back in 2012.
His explanation for the tougher task is simple. In recent years he built his lead early enough that he never had to play at the top of his game in Dubai. Not this time. He called the course more penal off the tee than it used to be, with rough thick enough to produce plenty of bad lies.
no renewal
Free for 2 weeks.
Course knowledge, and a Rahm reminder
Experience is what McIlroy is leaning on. He has won this tournament three times and lost a play-off to Matt Fitzpatrick here last year. He finished third at the Abu Dhabi Championship last week, four shots behind Jon Rahm, and described the week as a step forward even if it did not close as much ground as he wanted.
Rahm now sits sixth in the standings and still has an outside shot at a second Race to Dubai crown, after 2019. He had kind words for Chacarra, who has won three times on tour this season: a superb ball-striker whose game travels to every course and who tends to stay in the mix on Sundays.
McIlroy, 37, is also chasing a 45th career title. He says he is increasingly proud of how long he has stayed near the top of the world rankings, and of staying healthy while he kept working on the weak spots.
Discover the rest of our Golf news on MathODDS!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply