One birdie on the 16th: McIlroy snatches an eighth Race to Dubai title from Chacarra as Hatton wins by five

For most of Sunday afternoon in Dubai, the season’s long-time leader looked like holding on. Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra, a three-time winner on the DP World Tour this year, went into the final round on top of the Race to Dubai and was still projected to finish there after 15 holes.

Then Rory McIlroy birdied the 16th.

The Northern Irishman, who began the day four shots off the lead, closed with two pars for a bogey-free 67 and 10 under par. That was good enough for solo second in the DP World Tour Championship, and for the season-long title. Chacarra shot 69 to tie for third at 8 under, with Finland’s Oliver Lindell. McIlroy finished with 5,044.86 points to Chacarra’s 4,919.79.

“Winning eight Order of Merits was never in my list of goals when I was growing up!” McIlroy, 37, said afterwards. He dedicated the win to his father, Gerry, who has been in hospital since an operation in September.

How close did it get?

Close enough that the projected lead changed hands more than once on the back nine. Chacarra birdied the 13th and 14th to move ahead by a fraction of a point, while McIlroy failed to take advantage of the par-five 14th. The 16th settled it.

“It was a good fight. I just came out short,” Chacarra said.

Who actually won the tournament?

Tyrrell Hatton, comfortably. The 35-year-old Englishman started with a one-shot lead, made back-to-back birdies from the 2nd and four more on the back nine, and closed with a 66 to finish 15 under, five clear of McIlroy.

It is Hatton’s ninth DP World Tour title and his first in the season finale after several near misses. It is also his sixth Rolex Series win, equal with Jon Rahm. He finished third in the Race to Dubai.

What does the record mean?

Montgomerie won seven Order of Merit titles in a row from 1993 to 1999 and an eighth in 2005. McIlroy has now matched that total, and his five straight seasons on top put him second only to Montgomerie’s run. It caps an odd season for him: his only win of 2026 was his successful defence of the Masters in April.

The money is significant too. McIlroy collects a US$2 million bonus for the Race to Dubai and Chacarra US$1 million as runner-up. Chacarra and Lindell are among 10 players who earned PGA Tour cards for 2027 through the standings.

Why should Australians care?

Because the next chapter starts here. The 2027 DP World Tour season opens at the Australian PGA Championship at The Lakes in Sydney from 26 to 29 November, and McIlroy is booked for the Australian Open in Melbourne from 3 to 6 December.

VNN will update this story as more is confirmed.