With just the DP World Tour Championship remaining in the Race to Dubai, Rory McIlroy is on the cusp of making history and becoming a seven-time Race to Dubai winner.
McIlroy currently leads the Race to Dubai standings, but there are still two men who can stop the Northern Irishman from achieving this feat.
Who Can Stop Rory McIlroy From Winning A Seventh Race to Dubai Title?
Career Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy looks almost nailed on to win a seventh Race to Dubai title. Should he do so, he would become the second most successful golfer in European Tour history, overtaking the great Seve Ballesteros on six titles.
Scotsman Colin Montgomery holds the record for the most Harry Vardon trophy wins with eight, which included a seven year stretch from 1993-1999. Should McIlroy clinch a fourth successive Race to Dubai title this weekend, he will be just one away from Montgomery’s record.
Although he is odds on to win the Race to Dubai and likely will do so barring disaster, mathematically there is still a chance that the five-time major champion can be caught.
There are two golfers who can still win the Race to Dubai – both of whom have never done so previously. But just who are they?
Marco Penge
English golf star Marco Penge is one of only two men who can mathematically catch McIlroy to capture the coveted Race to Dubai title.
The 27-year-old currently sits in second place in the Race to Dubai standings, trailing McIlroy by 762.02 points. Although it is unlikely he catches the career Grand Slam winner, he still has a chance.
This year has been Penge’s career-best without doubt. He has won three DP World Tour events this year alone, including the Open de Espana last month.
He has been one of the best performances on the European Tour the entire season, and looks destined for a Europe Ryder Cup spot in the future. Perhaps even at the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor.
Penge finished -20 par in a tie for ninth last week at Yas Links, and is the closest of the 52 remaining players to McIlroy in the Race to Dubai standings.
Tyrrell Hatton
The only other player besides Marco Penge who can mathematically still win the Race to Dubai is Tyrrell Hatton.
The Englishman of course competes at LIV Golf these days, which makes it even more impressive that he is even in with a sniff of clinching the Race to Dubai title.
Hatton won the Dubai Desert Classic at the beginning of the year in his only win on the DP World Tour in 2025, but has performed well in all four majors as well as some strong finishes in any event he has played on the European Tour this season.
Hatton played an integral part in improving Europe’s Ryder Cup record when playing in America at Bethpage Black back in September, and he remains in the hunt for a first Race to Dubai crown this week.
The 34-year-old is currently 1,720.88 points behind McIlroy in the Race to Dubai standings, which makes it highly unlikely he leaves Dubai with the title. However, it isn’t impossible with 2,000 points being awarded to the winner of the DP World Tour Championship come Sunday.
Tyrrell Hatton is very much still in the hunt, but needs a disaster from Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy if he has any chance of claiming victory.
What Does Rory McIlroy Need To Do To Win The Race To Dubai?
Rory McIlroy’s next tournament is one he looks primed to win a seventh Race to Dubai title in. As well as winning a seventh title, it would also be his fourth in succession should he clinch victory this Sunday.
The Northern Irishman is just one solid performance away from winning the Harry Vardon trophy and boasts a healthy lead at the top of the current Race to Dubai standings.
In order for McIlroy to win a seventh Race to Dubai title, the equation is very simple. Should he win the DP World Tour Championship, McIlroy would romp home and win the 2025 Race to Dubai by a landslide.
There is of course a very slim chance that McIlroy doesn’t win the Race to Dubai, but he really needs to have a disastrous four days in Dubai if he is to lose his grip on the title.
Even a win for nearest rival Marco Penge at the DP World Tour Championship wouldn’t be enough if McIlroy finishes solo second. However, if Penge wins and the five-time major champion finishes second or worse, the Race to Dubai title will belong to the Englishman.
Solo third will not be good enough for Penge under any circumstances, but no worse than a three-way-tie could be enough for the 27-year-old, depending on how McIlroy fares of course.
For Tyrrell Hatton to win the 2025 Race to Dubai, he will need to win. Simple.
Even if Hatton does win and McIlroy finishes in a three-way-tie for 10th or better, the Race to Dubai crown will still belong to McIlroy. Essentially for Hatton to win, McIlroy must finish outside of the top 10 with the Marlow-born golfer needing to win the DP World Tour Championship outright.
That being said, even if Hatton wins and McIlroy finishes outside of the top 10, the Race to Dubai wouldn’t necessarily be in the bag for Hatton. If Marco Penge finished in solo second behind Hatton, then it would be Penge who would clinch the Race to Dubai title.
Race To Dubai Contenders – As It Stands
- Rory McIlroy – 4,640.06 points
- Marco Penge – 3,873.04 points
- Tyrrell Hatton – 2,919.18 points
