McIlroy dedicates record-equalling Dubai title to father

Detailed summary

Rory McIlroy secures a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title after finishing second at the DP World Tour Championship, dedicating the win to his fath Read More:…

An emotional Rory McIlroy sealed a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title on Sunday after a second-placed finish behind Tyrrell Hatton at the DP World Tour Championship edged out Eugenio Chacarra.

McIlroy dedicated the win to his father Gerry who had a double lung transplant at the end of September and has been in a Cleveland hospital since then.

“My dad is a massive part of my life and has been my biggest supporter,” said the Northern Irishman who tied the record of Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie after a dramatic final round of the season-ending $10 million DP World Tour Championship.

“He is the one who got me into the game and the one who told me to follow my dreams and never give up, and never think that you’re not good enough.

“It’s obviously been difficult. He has been living with this for 18 months, and it got to the point where the last resort was a transplant. Thankfully, the operation was a success and he’s recovering well.

“It’s been a stressful time for our family. If things were not looking as good as they were, I probably wouldn’t have felt comfortable travelling or being too far away.

“I went up to see him before I left for Abu Dhabi a couple of weeks ago, and he said to me, ‘Rors, go and win me The Race to Dubai’. That was in my head for the last two weeks, and I really wanted to do it for him,” McIlroy said.

The tournament itself was a runaway win for England’s Hatton (66) even if all eyes were on the fascinating battle between McIlroy and Spain’s Chacarra, playing a group behind him.

It all came down to the 18th hole, where McIlroy made a disappointing par to finish on 10-under par, but that was good enough for a solo second place.

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