Rory McIlroy Clinched His Sixth Race to Dubai Crown at the DP World Tour Championship

Rory McIlroy clinched his sixth Race to Dubai crown at the DP World Tour Championship - AFP
Rory McIlroy clinched his sixth Race to Dubai crown at the DP World Tour Championship - AFP
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Rory McIlroy Clinched His Sixth Race to Dubai Crown at the DP World Tour Championship

Rory McIlroy clinched his sixth Race to Dubai crown at the DP World Tour Championship - AFP
Rory McIlroy clinched his sixth Race to Dubai crown at the DP World Tour Championship - AFP

Rory McIlroy won the DP World Tour Championship for the third time and claimed his sixth Race to Dubai title in the process on Sunday.

The 35-year-old from Northern Ireland made a crucial birdie on the par-4 16th hole to break a deadlock with Denmark's Rasmus Hojgaard.

He then birdied the par-5 18th hole for a three-under-par 69 that took him to 15-under for the four days and was enough for a two-shot win.

Rasmus, who was trying to follow in the footsteps of his twin brother Nicolai and take the trophy back to Denmark for a second year in a row, made a stunning 22-footer par save on the 17th hole, but could not put the pressure on McIlroy on the 18th as he settled for a par and a final round score of 71.

McIlroy, who started with a bogey and then made four successive birdies, dropped a couple of shots around the turn to be tied with Hojgaard after 15 holes at 13-under, AFP reported.

He finally edged ahead with a stunning second shot on the par-4 16th hole from 137 yards to less than a foot for his fifth birdie of the day and drained a six-footer on the final hole.

Including the Zurich Classic that the world number three claimed alongside Shane Lowry, it was McIlroy's fourth worldwide win of the season and secured him the Race to Dubai crown.

Australia's Adam Scott and Ireland's Lowry shot final-round 68s to tie for third place at 11-under par alongside France's Antoine Rozner. England's Tyrrell Hatton was solo 6th at 10-under.

The 10 players who earned their PGA Tour cards include Hojgaard, Thriston Lawrence of South Africa, England's Paul Waring, Dane Niklas Norgaard, Swede Jesper Svensson, Antoine Rozner of France, Italy's Matteo Manassero, Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark, Japan's Rikuya Hoshino and Tom McKibbin of Northern Ireland.



Rafael Nadal and Spain’s Davis Cup Captain Won’t Say Whether He’ll Play before Retirement

Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Preview - Hotel Higueron Resort, Malaga, Spain - November 18, 2024 Spain's Rafael Nadal during a press conference. (Reuters)
Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Preview - Hotel Higueron Resort, Malaga, Spain - November 18, 2024 Spain's Rafael Nadal during a press conference. (Reuters)
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Rafael Nadal and Spain’s Davis Cup Captain Won’t Say Whether He’ll Play before Retirement

Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Preview - Hotel Higueron Resort, Malaga, Spain - November 18, 2024 Spain's Rafael Nadal during a press conference. (Reuters)
Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Preview - Hotel Higueron Resort, Malaga, Spain - November 18, 2024 Spain's Rafael Nadal during a press conference. (Reuters)

Neither Rafael Nadal nor Spanish captain David Ferrer would say Monday whether the 22-time Grand Slam champion will play singles or doubles — or even at all — at the Davis Cup Final 8, his last event before retirement.

Spain is scheduled to face the Netherlands on Tuesday in the quarterfinals on an indoor hard court at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena. The winner will play in the semifinals on Friday. The championship will be decided on Sunday.

Asked at a news conference how he has been feeling in practice in recent days and whether he is ready to play, Nadal said: "That’s a question for the captain." That response drew a smile and laugh from Ferrer, sitting to Nadal's left.

Moments later at a hotel in Fuengirola, about 12 miles south of the arena in Malaga, the question of Nadal's participation was put to Ferrer.

"I don’t know yet," Ferrer said. "At the moment, I have not decided the players that are going to play tomorrow."

The 38-year-old Nadal announced last month that he would walk away from tennis after the Davis Cup at home in Spain. He has been dealing with a series of injuries the past two seasons and has been limited to fewer than 25 official matches in that span.

"I'm not here to retire. I’m here to help the team win. It’s my last week in a team competition and the most important thing is to help the team. The emotions will come later," said Nadal, wearing the squad's red polo shirt with a tiny red-and-yellow Spanish flag on the left sleeve.

"I’m enjoying the week. I’m not putting too much attention to the retirement," Nadal said. "It will be a big change in my life after this week."

Nadal said it doesn't "make sense to keep going knowing that I don’t have the real chance to be competitive the way that I like to be competitive because my body" won’t allow it.

He hasn't played an official match since the Paris Olympics in early August. He lost in the second round of singles to Novak Djokovic and in the quarterfinals of doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz.

"I’ve tried to prepare as hard as possible for the last month and a half. I’m trying to give my best for this event," Nadal said. "When you don’t compete so often, it’s difficult to maintain the level consistently. But the improvement is there every day. I believe that."

Spain's Davis Cup team also includes Alcaraz, Marcel Granollers, Roberto Bautista Agut and Pedro Martinez.