Rory McIlroy had every reason to celebrate on Sunday, November 15. He had just matched Colin Montgomerie’s record for Race to Dubai titles after a tense battle with Eugenio Chacarra at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Yet when a DP World Tour reporter stopped him for an interview, McIlroy struggled to speak. One question about his father had him fighting back tears.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Speaking to DP World Tour, McIlroy was asked how much his father had been in his thoughts during the final round.
McIlroy hesitated, rubbed the side of his face as he fought back tears, and added, “A lot. He’s been in the hospital for the last two months and underwent a huge operation at the end of September, and he’s recovering well, thankfully.”
His voice shook as he dedicated the win to his father. “When I left to come here to the Middle East, I went up to Cleveland to see him before I went, and he said to me, ‘Go win the Race to Dubai.’ Yeah, this one’s for him.”
In the interview, McIlroy referred only to a “huge operation,” but it has since been reported that Gerry underwent a double-lung transplant. He has remained in hospital in Cleveland since. Before the interview, McIlroy made a video call to his family.
Notably, McIlroy’s decision to travel to India for the DP World India Championship was also a last-minute one. He had spent nine days in the ICU with his father following Gerry’s double-lung transplant. Despite everything happening at home, McIlroy went on to compete and eventually win the Race to Dubai, making the achievement even more special.
McIlroy’s relationship with his parents is well known. In fact, Gerry McIlroy has been a huge part of his career from the start. Gerry played to a scratch handicap himself and put a club in his son’s hands when he was a toddler. He went on to coach Rory and caddie for him until he was 17. His mother also worked extra jobs to pay for it all.
Although McIlroy carried his father’s wish with him on the course, clinching his eighth Race to Dubai title wasn’t easy. The Grand Slam winner arrived in Dubai about 534 points behind Chacarra, who had won three times this year.
McIlroy, meanwhile, had won only once in 2026, claiming his second straight Masters. However, consistent finishes kept him in contention, including a third-place finish in Abu Dhabi a week earlier. Clearly, he needed to finish ahead of Chacarra, who started the week at the top.
But Saturday’s round made the task harder. McIlroy began the third round tied for the lead with Tyrrell Hatton, and an eagle at the seventh put him in front. Then the round turned. He made four bogeys in all, shot 72, and finished four shots behind Hatton. Chacarra shot 68 and drew level with him, setting up a Sunday showdown.
Both men started Sunday on five under par. McIlroy opened with a 361-yard drive and a 12-foot birdie. He added birdies at the sixth, seventh, and ninth. Chacarra answered with birdies at the seventh and eighth but bogeyed the ninth and dropped another shot at the tenth.
Two more birdies put Chacarra back in front, and at one stage, he led McIlroy by just 0.10 points, with the standings at 4,753.46 to 4,753.36. McIlroy answered with a birdie at the 16th. At the 18th, his tee shot hit a tree, and he chipped out to save par.
Chacarra then needed an eagle at the last. His approach found a greenside bunker, and he made par. Victor Perez, still on the 18th fairway, needed to hole out from 216 yards to hand Chacarra the title.
McIlroy finished with a bogey-free 67 at 10 under, solo second behind Tyrrell Hatton, who won by five shots at 15 under. He took the Race to Dubai by about 125 points, securing his fifth consecutive title and eighth overall.
After the result was confirmed, McIlroy lifted the Race to Dubai trophy at the presentation.
“I don’t really know what to say,” McIlroy told the DP World Tour. “Winning eight Order of Merits was never really on my list of goals when I was growing up.”
“I’m a very proud European,” McIlroy said afterwards, before recalling watching Montgomerie at Wentworth as a boy and playing alongside him for the first time at the 2008 European Open.
The new DP World Tour season starts in less than two weeks in Australia, but McIlroy has not confirmed whether he will play. He is, however, set to return to the Hero Dubai Desert Classic from January 21 to 24.