Rory McIlroy is a familiar face leading the Race to Dubai rankings. He has done it multiple times and even bagged six European Order of Merit titles. However, a newcomer’s rapid rise has caught everyone’s attention heading into the DP World Tour Championship. This time, McIlroy will have more than just another trophy to win at the DP World Tour Championship. He will also be defending his leading spot on the Race to Dubai rankings, which is in danger.

With three DP World Tour title wins this season, Marco Penge is only 767.02 points short of the 5x major winner. When asked about Penge and how well the Irish golfer will have to play to ensure a win, he said, “This week I’ve got one eye on trying to win the tournament but then another eye on making sure I keep Marco at bay. He’s had an amazing year, winning three times. Yeah, he’s an amazing talent. I got to play with him the first two days last week. Hits it a mile. He looks really, really good over it. Doesn’t look like he’s got a ton of weaknesses. I think the only thing he needs to do is gain experience, and gain experience playing in different courses and different conditions.”

Marco Penge poses a real challenge to Rory McIlroy. He was previously suspended from the DP World Tour from December 2024 to February 2025 for betting. While the suspension was troublesome, Penge had a dream comeback. He has won three titles on the tour, and all of them came after his comeback this season.

With wins at the Hainan Classic, the Danish Golf Championship, and the Spanish Open, Penge has amassed 3,873.04 points in the Race to Dubai. Rory McIlroy leads with 4,604.06 points, thanks to his Masters and Irish Open wins. The challenge was even closer before the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, which Aaron Rai won. The gap was only around 500 points then. However, it widened as McIlroy posted a T3 finish with 24 under par at the Play-Off event. On the other hand, Penge finished T9 with a score of 20 under par, 268.

“Yeah, my goal is to try — obviously my goal once I didn’t qualify for the Ryder Cup. I think I played the Irish Open, and I thought, Now my goal is to catch Rory,” Penge said when asked about his standings on the Race to Dubai rankings. So it’s both ways. It’s not just McIlroy, Penge is also thinking about the same. The 767 points gap is not too big to cover, considering the 12,000 points available at the DP World Tour Championship.

The winner gets 2,000 points, while anyone finishing solo second gets 1,335 points. So, if Penge manages to win the DP World Tour Championship, and McIlroy is anywhere below the solo 2nd position, he loses the title. In the past few years, Rory McIlroy has had a big margin entering the Play-Off events. “I have to play well. It would be lovely if — the last couple times I’ve wrapped up here, I’ve pretty much had The Race to Dubai in the bag, and I could just focus on trying to win the tournament,” McIlroy said.

If Rory McIlroy maintains his position and wins the event, it would be his 7th Race to Dubai title. This would help him surpass Seve Ballesteros. The Spaniard currently ties with the career grand slam winner with six wins. Once McIlroy wins this season, he will only be behind Colin Montgomerie, who leads with a record eight wins.

While Marco Penge gives Rory McIlroy a tough challenge, the situation arises because of the number of events the latter has played this season.

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Rory McIlroy’s reduced schedule to avoid injury

Rory McIlroy is adopting a cautious approach to his playing schedule to avoid the kind of injury issues that plagued Tiger Woods. Woods continued to play a heavy schedule even after injuries and multiple surgeries over the years. However, McIlroy plans to cut down on the number of tournaments he participates in to preserve his body and extend his career. “Look, I’m not getting any younger. If I want to play competitively for another ten years like Justin Rose has, for example, I have to remember that I’m not 23 anymore and I can’t play that schedule forever,” McIlroy said.

In 2025, Rory McIlroy played in fewer events compared to the previous season. He was part of the field in only 16 PGA Tour events, down from 19 in 2024. McIlroy plans to further limit the number of events he plays on both tours. If he does reduce the schedule, upcoming seasons could become even harder for him to win the Race to Dubai. However, he will still have chances through major events. Major tournaments offer 10,000 Race to Dubai points. So, winning one like this year will still keep the World No. 2’s path open.

As the DP World Tour Championship unfolds, Rory McIlroy stands on the edge of yet another milestone. However, Marco Penge’s surge ensures nothing comes easy. Whether McIlroy secures his seventh Race to Dubai title or not, this rivalry signals an exciting new chapter for European golf.