Rory McIlroy didn’t eclipse Matt Fitzpatrick at the DP World Tour Championship on Sunday, but he did claim the Race to Dubai, moving him out of a tie with Seve Ballesteros.
This is McIlroy’s seventh season-long title — fourth consecutively — and he is now alone in second on the DP World Tour’s list, one back of Colin Montgomerie.
The Race to Dubai is a points list which includes all DP World Tour events, including the four majors championships. It began in 2009, replacing the Order of Merit (money list) as the way to determine a season-long champion.
In what was formerly known as the European Tour, Montgomerie won seven straight Order of Merit crowns, from 1993-99. He add an eighth in 2005.
McIlroy’s first RTD triumph came in 2012. He won back-to-back in 2014-15, and now has four in a row.
Ballesteros spread out his six from 1976 to 1991.
Here’s a list of the most Race to Dubai/Order of Merit victories, dating to the European Tour’s beginning in 1972, including all those with multiple wins:
8 — Colin Montgomerie
7 — Rory McIlroy
6 — Seve Ballesteros
3 — Lee Westwood
3 — Sandy Lyle
2 — Bernhard Langer
2 — Nick Faldo
2 — Retief Goosen
2 — Ernie Els
2 — Henrik Stenson
