Rory McIlroy ends season on a high with order of merit

Kerching! Rory McIlroy punched in all the right numbers in retaining the European Tour’s order of merit title, as victory in the DP World Tour Championship on the Earth course guaranteed him a third Race to Dubai title in four seasons and scooped him a jackpot payout of almost €3 million for his efforts.

In collecting a winner’s cheque for €1,230,792 along with bonus money of €1,763,000 for emerging as number one on the Race to Dubai standings, McIlroy closed out his year’s work in style and will now put the clubs away for the winter.

Strong challenge

He is scheduled to start the 2016 season back in the Middle East, playing in the Abu Dhabi championship in January.

McIlroy fended off a strong challenge from England’s Andy Sullivan, the 54-holes leader, to claim a third European Tour and a fourth worldwide win of 2015. For McIlroy, the year was disrupted by a court case with his former management company Horizon and, later in the summer, by an ankle injury that forced him to miss out on his defence of the British Open title at St Andrews. He missed almost two months of the season as he underwent rehabilitation on the ruptured ankle ligament.

However, McIlroy’s return to the winner’s enclosure – shooting a final round 66 for a 21-under-par total of 267, one shot clear of Sullivan and six ahead of third-placed Branden Grace – also ensured he would retain the order of merit title.

The 26-year-old Northern Irishman previously topped the end-of-season standings in 2012 and 2014.

Although there was a nervy moment when he put his tee shot on the Par 3 17th hole into the lake behind the green, McIlroy salvaged a bogey four by holing a 45-foot putt.

High

“I’m happy that this was my last event of the year. I’d done well and ended the season on a high,” said McIlroy, adding: “I’ll be happy to put the clubs away for a while. I’ve played really good golf this week, 13-under-par for the weekend. I couldn’t think of a better way to finish the season.

“I feel like my game and my putting has been gradually progressing throughout these last few weeks.”

Shane Lowry finished with a 73 for 297 to finish in tied-48th, but the Offalyman took a career-high fifth place in the Race to Dubai standings and claimed €410,000 from the season-ending bonus pool to go with his €34,000 tournament prizemoney.