Rory McIlroy is drawing on past success at the Earth course as he bids to match Colin Montgomerie’s record of eight Race to Dubai titles at this week’s DP World Tour Championship.
Chasing a fifth successive season-long crown, McIlroy arrives at Jumeirah Golf Estates having narrowed the gap on leader Eugenio Chacarra with a third-place finish at last week’s Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.
“I’m very excited to be back here, and yeah, very excited to be in contention for the eighth,” he told media on Tuesday.
“I made some ground up last week, maybe not as much as I wanted, but I felt like it was a step in the right direction.”
McIlroy has had another year to remember, capturing a second successive Green Jacket at the Masters in April and recording multiple top-ten finishes, including a runner-up finish at the BMW PGA Championship.
Now returning to a venue where he boasts three victories – the latest in 2024 – and ten other top tens in 15 previous starts, the World Number Two will have a chance at making more history here, currently sitting 533.93 points behind Chacarra.
While the Northern Irishman will likely need at least a top-four finish and other results to go his way to claim an eighth title, his record at the Earth Course means he comes in with confidence about his chances in this position.
“Getting back to a place where I played well and I had a lot of success, even last year in the play-off with Matt (Fitzptrick), it’s been a course that’s been very good to me over the years, and I have a lot of experience on it and a lot of experience up at the top end of the leaderboard,” he said. “Experience going out in that final group on a Thursday.
“So yeah, excited to do it all over again, and you know, try to play well enough to give myself a real chance at the weekend.
“It’s certainly a lot more penal off the tee this year. The rough is very, very thick. You get a lot of bad lies in the rough. But as I say, I think when you come back to a golf course that you played a lot on and you’ve done well on, that always gives you a little bit of an advantage starting the week.”
While he will have to navigate both the Earth Course and the eight other players vying to win the Race to Dubai Crown – including last week’s champion Jon Rahm – McIlroy has plenty of positive memories of winning the Race to Dubai to draw upon.
“I’ll always remember the first one pretty well because of how I did it,” he said. “I birdied the last five holes in a row, I think. Justin Rose was making a big push. He finished really well. So that was a cool way to win.
“Yeah, I mean, even I had a nice battle with Andy Sullivan in 2015. That was a cool day as well.
“And then the last few years… I played well much earlier in the year where I’ve maybe not had to play at my absolute best to get it done, and this week’s a little bit different.
“But I do go back to the first one. I think I was second in the Race to Dubai in 2009. And then I played pretty well in 10 and 11, not close enough to get it done, but to get that first one in 12, I’ll remember that.”
Beyond this week’s title chase, McIlroy spoke about being increasingly proud of the consistency and longevity that have defined his career.
Playing in his 20th season on the DP World Tour, McIlroy has won seven Race to Dubai titles and finished in the top ten of the season-long race on five other occasions.
This week, he is relishing the chance to make more history.
“Something that I’ve become increasingly proud of as my career has progressed is the consistency and the longevity of what I’ve been able to do over a 15-year period,” he said.
“I think this will be the 15th or 16th year in a row that I will have finished the year in the top ten in the World Rankings. There may be a couple others that have done that before. Yeah, I’m very proud of that. I think that’s maybe an underrated part of careers, that longevity piece.
“And look, I was very lucky to start so young and get my Tour card at 18, and I’ve stayed pretty much injury-free throughout my career. And I’ve kept working and trying to get better at certain aspects of the game and always tried to see weaknesses or be critical of myself and try to get better at them.
“I think that’s just a reoccurring process that I try to do each and every year. That approach has worked really well for me and hopefully will continue to work well for me for a few more years yet.”
Away from the action on the Earth course, the Championship Village offers a full day out across all four days. Some of the UAE’s favourite eateries, including Pickl, Allo Beirut and La Patrona, will serve from 20 catering locations across the village and the 15th and 17th platforms. In the Skill Zone, fans can join free daily clinics from the Tommy Fleetwood Academy, try the F1 simulators and take on the putting challenges, with big screens, trick-shot shows and live music throughout.
Dedicated kids zones are open every day with bouncy castles, face painting and magic shows. Saturday November 14 is Ladies Day, with free Pilates, a beginners’ golf clinic, two complimentary drinks from 11am and live music from Ark Angels after play. Sunday November 15 is Family Day, when kids can enjoy free House of Pops ice lollies and join their parents for free golf lessons.
Entry on Thursday November 12 is free with pre-registration. General Admission for Friday to Sunday starts from AED 60, and children aged 17 and under go free on all four days, although their tickets must still be registered in advance. Groups of eight or more can save with discounted General Admission tickets, and the 1st Tee Experience returns as an add-on.
If you want a front-row seat as the Race to Dubai is decided, Ticket+ guarantees a spot in the shaded front section of The Greatest Bar on Earth – powered by Axi, with views of the 17th green and 18th tee. On the closing holes, the Championship Chalet on the 18th green and the Earth Lounge on the 16th offer premium views, but fans should act fast: Friday in the Earth Lounge and Sunday in the Chalet are already sold out.
