Golf’s biggest names arrive in Dubai, aware that the outcome of the season can change dramatically once the final round reaches its climax. In the previous DP World Tour Play-Off event at Yas Links, Aaron Rai and Tommy Fleetwood faced off in a playoff after finishing tied at the end of regulation rounds during the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Tommy Fleetwood, Laurie Canter, Ludvig Åberg, and Matt Fitzpatrick were tied at 17 under par with only a few holes left. So fans can expect a similar playoff at the DP World Tour Championship. If players finish the tournament tied, the playoff begins on the 18th hole. The Playoff format at the DP World Tour Championship is sudden-death. It repeats on the 18th hole until one player posts a lower score than the rest. The setup gives every shot extra weight, turning the final stretch into a sequence of moments that can decide careers.

It’s not just Fleetwood, Canter, Aberg, and Fitzpatrick in the race. Rory McIlroy and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen followed closely with a score of 16 under par. The stakes match this intensity perfectly. The champion collects a $3 million prize, a two-season exemption on the DP World Tour, and entry into several major events. It’s a finish that rewards calm decision-making under bright pressure.

In a thrilling finish, four contenders were tied at 17 under par until the very end, but Matt Fitzpatrick emerged victorious by making a birdie on the 72nd hole. He started with a 252-yard tee shot, although his next shot landed in the rough, leaving him 48 yards from the pin. However, Fitzpatrick’s third shot from the rough was precise, bringing the ball just 5 feet and 3 inches away from the hole, which set him up for the winning birdie.

With that birdie, only Rory McIlroy and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen had a real chance to tie with Fitzpatrick. Neergaard-Petersen hit a birdie, but it was not enough as he moved to 17 under par to tie with Tommy Fleetwood, Laurie Canter, and Ludvig Aberg. However, McIlroy didn’t let Fitzpatrick win just after the regulation rounds. He hit an eagle on the 72 hole to finish 18 under par and trigger a sudden-death playoff with Matt Fitzpatrick at the DP World Tour Championship.

McIlroy was frustrated at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship because he could not keep up with the others. However, in the second Play-Off event, he made sure to play his best game from the very beginning. He carded rounds of 66-69-68-67 to force the playoff at the DP World Tour Championship. His eagle came with a putt from a distance of 15 feet and 11 inches.

Both Matt Fitzpatrick and Rory McIlroy faced each other in the sudden-death playoff on the 18th hole. However, the Northern Irishman faced defeat in the very first round. McIlroy made a bogey, while Fitzpatrick hit an on-par 5. Although Fitzpatrick defeated McIlroy at the DP World Tour Championship, he won the Race to Dubai title for the 7th time.

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Rory McIlroy will win his 7th Race to Dubai title

McIlroy had 4,640.06 points under his name before the DP World Tour Championship. The only real threats he had were from Marco Penge and Tyrrell Hatton. Penge had 3,873.04 points and Hatton had 2,919.18 points before the event. Marco Penge posed the real challenge. He was just around 750 points shy of McIlroy. With 12,000 points up for grabs, it would have been possible if Penge had an outstanding event.

“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,” McIlroy said about Penge trying to catch up to him. But with McIlroy forcing the playoff, both Penge and Hatton are below him on the DP World Tour Championship leaderboard. Penge finished T22 with a score of 9 under par. Thus, he didn’t outperform McIlroy, who won the season-long battle.

This is McIlroy’s 7th Race to Dubai title. He has won it in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2022, 2023, and 2024. And this year, it will be his 7th, and 4th in a row. With this, he edges past Seve Ballesteros, who had 6 titles under his name. Now, he is only one win away from tying Colin Montgomerie’s 8 title wins. However, he plans to play fewer events on the DP World Tour in 2026, which could affect his chances.

The finish at the DP World Tour Championship showed how quickly the contest can tilt. Even after four rounds of steady play, a single hole decided the fate of the results. Fitzpatrick’s win and McIlroy’s season triumph close the year with a reminder of how tight the margins stay at the top of the tour.