Tyrrell Hatton produced a golfing masterclass to stroll to victory in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship as Rory McIlroy triumphed in a thrilling final round battle for the Race to Dubai title.
Hatton started the final day with a one-shot lead but stretched away from the field with a sublime 66 to finish five shots clear of second-placed McIlroy, who closed with a 67.
The Northern Irishman is never normally content with a runners-up spot, but this time it was the perfect result as it gave the double Masters champion his eighth Race to Dubai crown, equalling Colin Montgomerie’s long-standing record, the Scot having claimed his titles between 1993 and 2005.
Chacarra gives chase
McIlroy was pushed all the way in the race by Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra whose three victories on the DP World Tour this season – in the Netherlands, Italy and India – saw him arrive in Dubai with a 534 point advantage.
Starting one group behind McIlroy on the final day, the 26 year old from Madrid held the whip hand as the duo approached the turn, but an uncharacteristic run of three bogeys in four holes from the ninth handed the advantage back to the Northern Irishman who reached the turn in 32.
The ding-dong battle was far from over however. Regrouping admirably, the Spaniard carded back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14 as McIlroy hit a seam of six par figures in a row, the latter birdie moving Chacarra back to the top of the rankings by an incredible 0.1 of a point.
Drama down the stretch
Still the drama was not over. This time it was Chacarra’s turn to make pars instead of birdies and when McIlroy hit a sensational approach to within a foot on the 16th, the resulting birdie three moved the career Grand Slam winner back to the number one spot.
Two pars to finish saw him maintain that position but it also crystalised Chacarra’s task. Pars at 16 and 17 meant he needed an eagle three at 18 to win the Race to Dubai for the first time.
A perfect drive gave him the ideal platform but a pushed approach into a greenside bunker made the task virtually impossible and so it proved, a closing par five seeing him end the tournament in tied third with Finn Oliver Lindell, and second in the Race to Dubai.
Matching Monty’s record
Speaking about matching Montgomerie’s eight money list titles, McIlroy said: “I remember Monty as a stalwart of the European Tour. I first played with him for the first time at The London Club at The European Open in 2008. So to pull up alongside him and to win eight of these things means the world to me. I’m a very proud European and I’m proud to be a part of the DP World Tour.
“Of course, I would have loved to have come here and got the win. I finished third last week and I finished second this week. I think I did the exact same thing last year to win The Race to Dubai, as well. So it’s just my consistency and my finishes.
“I feel like I’ve done a good job the last few years of not playing my way out of tournaments, and that was maybe a little bit of the case earlier on in my career. I just think with a bit of maturity and experience, I can manage my game and my emotions and everything a little bit better and I feel like I’m never out of it.”
Hatton turns on cruise control
While the Race to Dubai excitement was unfolding in front of him, there was no such drama for Hatton who, a bogey four at the short fourth aside, produced some stunning golf as seven birdies in his closing 66 saw him win at a canter.
It was the 35-year-old Englishman’s ninth DP World Tour victory but, on a day where records were equalled, Hatton entered the history books on that score himself, joining his Ryder Cup team-mate Jon Rahm as the most successful player in this history of Rolex Series events on the DP World Tour with six victories.
Rahm’s sixth triumph came last week in Abu Dhabi where Hatton finished runner-up but he more than put that right in Dubai, at the same time erasing previous heartbreak around the Earth Course where he finished runner-up in the tournament in both 2016 and 2022.
Hatton said: “This is really special. I was really nervous today. I’ve had a bit of heartbreak around here in the past, and I felt like it was going to be a difficult day. But I’m just really proud of how I played on the back nine. My putter was amazing and certainly saved me all week. It feels so good to win here.”
“I want to be on the Ryder Cup team team in a year’s time, so this will really help towards that. The last two weeks have been great, so I’m really proud of that, and I’ll be able to enjoy Christmas now.”
Consolation for Chacarra
While McIlroy’s consolation for second place in the tournament was his eighth Race to Dubai crown, Chacarra’s consolation for his second place in the season-long standings was the fact he claimed the first of the ten cards available for next season’s PGA Tour from the final Race to Dubai rankings.
The talented Spaniard said: “It was a good fight, but I came up just short. Obviously, when you play with the best in the world you know it is going to be tough, and Rory had a better day than I did. I played well and I tried my best. That’s all I can ask myself to do and that’s what I did.
“I’m super excited about the PGA Tour. But I love the DP World Tour. It’s been so much for me and hopefully I can start good over there and come here as much as possible.”
Joining Chacarra were Patrick Reed, Casey Jarvis, Jayden Schaper, Dan Hillier, Jacob Skov Olesen, Oliver Lindell, Andy Sullivan, Bernd Wiesberger and Joe Dean.
For all the scores from the DP World Tour Championship click here.