DP World Tour Season Finale Tour Championship Victory
Playoff Showdown with McIlroy, Wins with Par
Petersen, Fleetwood, and Aberg Share Third Place
Matt Fitzpatrick (England) prevented Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) from winning his second consecutive title.
On November 16 (local time), at the Earth Course of Jumeirah Golf Estates (par 72, 7,706 yards) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Fitzpatrick carded six birdies without a bogey in the fourth round of the DP World Tour season finale, the Tour Championship (total prize money: 10 million dollars). After finishing tied with McIlroy at 18-under-par 270, Fitzpatrick secured the victory by making par on the first playoff hole, the 18th (par 5).
Matt Fitzpatrick is smiling brightly while holding the trophy right after winning the DP World Tour season finale, the Tour Championship. Dubai=AFP Yonhap News Agency
This win marks Fitzpatrick’s 10th career DP World Tour victory and his first in two years since the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October 2023. He received a winner’s prize of 3 million dollars (approximately 4.36 billion won). He has now claimed the trophy at this event for the third time, following victories in 2016 and 2020.
Starting the final round tied for third, one shot off the lead, Fitzpatrick made his first birdie on the 2nd hole (par 5), then added back-to-back birdies on the 4th and 5th holes to go three under on the front nine. On the back nine, he made consecutive birdies on the 14th and 15th holes and finished with another birdie on the 18th hole to close out his round on a high note. McIlroy, who shared the overnight lead, dramatically forced a playoff by making an eagle on the 18th hole. In the first playoff, Fitzpatrick made par with a “three-on, two-putt,” while McIlroy made a bogey and was brought to tears.
World No. 2 McIlroy was aiming for his fourth victory at this event, having won in 2012, 2014, and 2024, but had to settle for the runner-up spot. He did, however, secure first place in the Race to Dubai points standings.
Rory McIlroy (left) is receiving the Race to Dubai trophy immediately after the DP World Tour final, the Tour Championship. Dubai=Photo by EPA Yonhap News
Rasmus Neergaard Petersen (Denmark) played well by shooting four under par in the final round but slipped to a tie for third place at 17-under-par 271. Tommy Fleetwood and Laurie Canter (both England), as well as Ludvig Aberg (Sweden), also finished as part of the group tied for third. Rasmus Hojgaard (Denmark) finished seventh at 15-under-par 273, while Robert MacIntyre (Scotland) and Li Haotong (China) tied for eighth at 14-under-par 274.
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