Rory McIlroy heads to Dubai this week with a chance to make history. The Northern Irishman tees off in the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates on Thursday, chasing his eighth Race to Dubai title — a crown that would tie Colin Montgomerie’s record for the most season-long titles in European Tour history. McIlroy sits second in the standings, 534 points behind leader Eugenio Chacarra, with 2,000 points available to the winner.
The season finale, which runs from Thursday, November 12 to Sunday, November 15 at the Earth Course, features an elite 50-player field with no cut. McIlroy will play alongside Chacarra in the final group of the first round, teeing off at 12:40pm local time on Thursday, in a pairing that feels like a final in itself. The Spaniard has won three times this season and leads the standings; McIlroy has been the Race to Dubai champion in each of the past four years and is bidding to make it five in a row.
Rahm arrives in form
Jon Rahm will also be a key name to watch after his victory at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship last weekend. The Spaniard cruised to a two-shot win over Tyrrell Hatton in Abu Dhabi, moving up 45 places to sixth in the standings, and he arrives in Dubai with an outside chance of winning the Race to Dubai himself. Rahm tees off at 12:20pm local time alongside Aaron Rai, and the sportsbooks have him as the second favourite for the tournament behind McIlroy.
Nine players are still in contention to finish the year as No. 1, including Patrick Reed, who sits third in the standings, and Tommy Fleetwood. The total prize money is $10 million, with $3 million going to the winner, but the real prize is the season-long title. McIlroy needs to finish in the top four to have a chance of overtaking Chacarra, according to GolfMagic, and a win would almost certainly do it.
A fitting finale
The DP World Tour Championship is the 42nd and final event of the 2025-26 schedule, the culmination of a 13-month odyssey across 25 countries. For McIlroy, it is a chance to add another line to an already remarkable record. For Chacarra, it is a chance to hold off one of the game’s greats and announce himself as the new force in European golf. For Rahm, it is a chance to cap a resurgent season with a win in the finale.
The Earth Course will be in perfect condition, the field is the strongest of the year, and the Race to Dubai will be decided over four days in the desert. McIlroy against Chacarra, head to head, in the final group on Thursday — golf does not get much better than that.
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