Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland repeated as champion in the World Tour Championship-Dubai, beating Andy Sullivan of England by one stroke, to win the European Tour’s Race to Dubai for the second consecutive year and a third time in the last four seasons.
McIlroy closed with a 6-under-par 66, taking charge with four birdies in five holes through No. 15 and could even afford a bogey when he hit into the water on the 17th hole and holed a 30-foot putt to save bogey on the Earth Course at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
“It means an awful lot,” said McIlroy, who won for the fourth time in 2015, including the Dubai Desert Classic in February. “I had to play so well over the weekend. Dubai has been a pretty sweet place for me.
“Luckily I came out on top but (Sullivan is) a fantastic player. He kept holing putt after putt and I just kept chipping away, and thankfully I holed a few good ones of my own coming down the stretch.
“It’s the best way to finish 2015 and I can’t wait for next year.”
McIlroy earned a £822,828 bonus for winning the Race to Dubai, in addition to the £934,599 he collected for his World Tour Championship victory.
Sullivan, who won three times on the European Tour this season, had four birdies in the first 11 holes but finished with seven consecutive pars to shoot 68, while Branden Grace of South Africa was six shots back in third after a 67.
Danny Willett of England, who finished second to McIlroy in the Race to Dubai, closed with a 70 and was eight strokes behind in a tie for fourth with Francesco Molinari (68) of Italy, Charl Schwartzel (69) of South Africa, Matthew Fitzpatrick (70) of England, Emiliano Grillo (71) of Argentina and Byeong Hun An (71) of South Korea.
American Patrick Reed stumbled to a 73 and tied for 10th with Martin Kaymer of Germany and Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark, who both came in at 68.
