Race to Dubai: Matt Fitzpatrick wins in Dubai as Rory McIlroy takes the overall title

For a long time on Sunday it looked as if McIlroy would also win the final event of the DP World Tour season, as he held a two-point lead midway through the round before faltering down the stretch with bogeys on the 12th and 16th holes dropping him from the lead.

Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick was quietly compiling a bogey-free round of 66. Three birdies on the opening five holes was followed by a run of eight birdies and three birdies on his final five holes, including one on the final hole as he moved into the lead.

That left McIlroy and playing partner Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen needing to hit eagle shots at the end to force a playoff. Neergaard-Petersen missed from about 20 feet away.

McIlroy learned the line and drilled his 15-foot putt. As he did at the Irish Open in September, he screamed with joy.

But unlike in Ireland, McIlroy was unable to win the decider, giving Fitzpatrick the advantage by hitting his shot into the water and then failing to get up and down from a green bunker where he scored six.

Fitzpatrick, who played the hole more conservatively, was also off the green after three shots, but played an exhilarating ball and scored five.

“It means the world,” said the delighted Englishman, who overcame poor form in early 2025 to qualify for the Ryder Cup team and end the year on a high.

“I struggled at the start of the year, and it’s tough to turn it around in the summer and get the Ryder Cup that I did, but the way I played today, there was a bad shot all day.

“I’m so proud of myself. The effort everyone is putting in behind the scenes. What a feeling.”

More to follow.