Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick and Jon Rahm all have the opportunity to make history as the first player to win the DP World Tour Championship for a third time when the 14th edition of the season-ending tournament is held in Dubai this week.
The Major Champions all boast enviable records on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates which has hosted the tournament since its inception in 2009.
The fifth and final Rolex Series event of the campaign features a world-class field comprising the top 50 available players from the season-long DP World Tour Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.
McIlroy, who has led the seasonal rankings since his runner-up finish at The Open Championship at St Andrews in July, won the DP World Tour Championship for the first time in 2012 before repeating the feat three years later.
The four-time Major Champion has enjoyed a stellar campaign on both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, claiming eight top-ten finishes on the former and winning the FedExCup for a record third time on the latter in August.
Fitzpatrick, who sits third on the DP World Tour Rankings and can claim the coveted Harry Vardon trophy for a first time, produced his career-best performance in June to win his first Major at the U.S. Open at The Country Club, Brookline.
The Englishman, who has three further top ten finishes to his name this season, including a runner-up result at the DS Automobiles Italian Open, has won the DP World Tour Championship in 2016 and 2020.
Rahm, a former World Number One, claimed his eighth DP World Tour title on home soil last month as he emulated Seve Ballesteros as a three-time winner of the acciona Open de España presented by Madrid.
The 2021 U.S. Open Champion was named Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year after victory at the DP World Tour Championship in 2017, two years before his second season-ending Dubai triumph saw him finish as Europe’s Number One.
Ahead of this week’s eagerly anticipated event, we look back at the trio’s triumphs over the last decade at the Tour’s season finale.
McIlroy’s fast finish caps strong campaign with Dubai win
McIlroy arrived in Dubai in 2012 having already won the season-long money lists on both the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR.
Victory at the PGA Championship – his second Major triumph – earlier in the season had seen him return to World Number One, and McIlroy produced a stunning finish in Dubai to claim his fifth title of the year.
Coming into the final round in a share of the lead with Luke Donald, McIlroy birdied the last five holes to finish two shots ahead of Justin Rose.
McIlroy wins Tour finale to end as Europe’s Number One again
After an injury-affected campaign, in which he was forced to miss the defence of his Open Championship title, McIlroy won in Dubai for a second time in 2015 after a final-round battle with Andy Sullivan.
McIlroy shot a six-under-par 66 to finish on 21 under, one clear of England’s Sullivan as he retained the season-long title – the third time he’d won it in four years.
Sullivan had stretched his overnight one-shot advantage to three early on, but McIlroy made seven birdies in 11 holes to seize control, before he salvaged a bogey after finding water at the par-three 17th on his way to sealing victory.
Fitzpatrick celebrates first Dubai triumph
Fitzpatrick claimed the biggest title of his career with a thrilling triumph at the DP World Tour Championship by a single shot in 2016.
The Englishman, who had made his Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine earlier that year, birdied the final hole to win the event by a single shot from countryman Tyrrell Hatton.
The momentous victory saw Fitzpatrick become the youngest Englishman to win three Tour titles and the youngest player to win the DP World Tour Championship at the age of 22.
Double Dubai delight as Fitzpatrick wins first Rolex Series title
In his sixth appearance at the season climax in 2020, Fitzpatrick won his first Rolex Series title as he triumphed at the event for a second time.
After entering the final day in a share of the lead, he birdied his opening four holes in a closing 68 to claim a one-shot victory as he also finished in a career-high second in the season-long rankings.
The victory was his sixth Tour title, ending a two-year long absence from the winner’s circle in which he had finished second on five occasions.
Rahm caps rookie season in style
Shortly after being crowned Rookie of the Year in Europe, Rahm emerged from the back in the final round to claim a one-shot victory in Dubai in 2017.
In the tournament’s first staging as a Rolex Series event, the Spaniard shot a bogey-free five-under 67 to edge out Shane Lowry and Kiradech Aphibarnrat.
He became the first player to win multiple Rolex Series events in the process, following on from a commanding success in Ireland earlier that summer.
Rahm emulates Seve after tense Dubai finish
Rahm became the second Spaniard after the late Seve Ballesteros to win the Tour’s season-long race as he claimed a one-shot victory over Tommy Fleetwood at the 2019 DP World Tour Championship.
After opening up a six-shot lead through seven holes of the final round, he faltered before birdieing the last to avoid a play-off with his Ryder Cup teammate.
The victory, his sixth in his first 15 Tour starts, saw Rahm climb to third in the world for the first time and continue his rapid rise to global prominence.
