What a finish! The 2025 DP World Tour Championship in Dubai wrapped up with a heart-stopping playoff, as Matt Fitzpatrick held his nerve against Rory McIlroy to claim his third title at the season-ending event. The Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates witnessed drama, emotion, and golf of the highest caliber on November 16, with both Fitzpatrick and McIlroy delivering moments that will be replayed for years to come.
Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open champion, played a bogey-free final round and closed with a birdie on the 72nd hole, carding a sizzling 66. That shot him to the top of the leaderboard at 18-under par, but the story was far from over. Just minutes later, McIlroy—already a Masters champion this year—stood over a 16-foot eagle putt on the same 18th green. The Northern Irishman coolly rolled it in, letting out a roar and sending the crowd into a frenzy, forcing a playoff and setting up a classic showdown.
"It’s absolutely incredible. I knew I still had a bit of work to do to get over the line in the Race to Dubai," McIlroy said after his round, visibly moved by the moment. That eagle capped a rollercoaster back nine for McIlroy, who had earlier made five birdies in his first 11 holes to move ahead by two shots. But golf can be a cruel game—bogeys at the 12th and 16th, and a birdie putt that lipped out at 17, saw him chasing once again.
As the playoff began, tension filled the Dubai air. Fitzpatrick teed off first, finding the left rough but with a playable lie. The pressure was on McIlroy, whose drive found the stream that crosses the fairway. A penalty drop left him with a mountain to climb. Fitzpatrick, playing smart, laid up, his ball just barely clearing the water. McIlroy, now hitting his third, found the bunker with his approach. Fitzpatrick’s shot from 130 yards landed back right and rolled off the green, but his subsequent wedge was sublime, stopping less than two feet from the pin.
McIlroy’s par putt from nearly 25 feet was on line but stopped agonizingly short. Fitzpatrick calmly tapped in for par and the victory, clinching his third DP World Tour Championship title and his 10th DP World Tour win in 195 starts. The win was Fitzpatrick’s first since October 2023 and a remarkable turnaround after a tough start to the season. "This means the world," Fitzpatrick said. "Struggled at the start of this year, obviously, and to turn it around in the summer like I did and have a Ryder Cup like I did, it feels like it’s hard to top given everything."
Fitzpatrick’s composure under pressure was evident throughout the final day, especially over the last five holes where he made three birdies to come from three shots behind with six to play. "I feel like I really didn’t hit one bad shot all day," he reflected, a statement that matched the clinical way he closed out the championship.
But while Fitzpatrick lifted the trophy, McIlroy wasn’t leaving Dubai empty-handed. His playoff appearance secured him the coveted Race to Dubai title for a record seventh time, breaking a tie with the legendary Severiano Ballesteros and putting him just one behind Colin Montgomerie’s record of eight. "It seems within touching distance now," McIlroy mused. "I was the first European to win the Grand Slam and I’d love to be the most successful European in terms of winning Order of Merits and season-long races." He added, "Ballesteros was always my dad’s favourite player. When I hear Seve, it just sort of brings me back through my whole journey in the game, and yeah, it’s quite emotional."
McIlroy’s season-long consistency was rewarded handsomely, as he topped the European Tour’s season-ending rankings for a fourth consecutive year. His eyes are firmly on Montgomerie’s record, and with his current form, who would bet against him? "I’d love to be the winningest European in terms of Order of Merits and season-long races so hopefully I can catch him and surpass him," McIlroy said with determination.
Elsewhere on the leaderboard, four players finished tied for third at 17-under par: Tommy Fleetwood, Laurie Canter, Ludvig Aberg, and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen. Fleetwood, in particular, has been on a tear, with a win at the DP World India Championship, a runner-up finish in Abu Dhabi, and now another strong result in Dubai. His back nine on Sunday was electric, with five birdies, but he left it just too late to challenge for the title.
For many, the DP World Tour Championship isn’t just about the trophy. The event also determined PGA Tour cards for 2026, with the top 10 non-exempt players earning their spots. Marco Penge finished tied for 22nd, enough to secure second place in the Race to Dubai and a ticket to the PGA Tour next year. He was joined by Canter, Kristoffer Reitan, Adrien Saddier, Alex Noren, John Parry, Haotong Li, Keita Nakajima, Neergaard-Petersen, and Jordan Smith—the latter clinching his spot thanks to a birdie on his final hole.
Fitzpatrick’s victory also places him in elite company. He joins McIlroy and Jon Rahm as the only men to have won the DP World Tour Championship three times. "Three times is very nice. The names that have done it three times, it’s nice to be a part of that," Fitzpatrick said, beaming with pride.
The final day’s action was broadcast on BBC Two, and golf fans across the globe were treated to a masterclass in nerve and skill. While McIlroy rued a costly mistake in the playoff, he was gracious in defeat. "But unfortunately hit it in the water there on 18 in the playoff. Just sort of put me behind the 8-ball. But happy for Matt. He’s had a great end of the season."
As the dust settles in Dubai, the 2025 DP World Tour Championship will be remembered for its thrilling finale, the rise of a determined Fitzpatrick, and McIlroy’s relentless pursuit of history. With new faces earning PGA Tour cards and veterans etching their names deeper into the record books, the European golf scene has rarely looked so vibrant. Next up: The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. If this week was any indication, golf fans are in for another wild ride.
