Anyone who may have doubted what yet another Race to Dubai would mean to Rory McIlroy was in for a shock on Sunday, with the Northern Irishman extremely emotional at joining Seve Ballesteros on six Order of Merit titles.
Rory McIlroy rounded off his competitive year in style at the DP World Tour Championship. There only appeared to be a slim chance of Thriston Lawrence preventing McIlroy from winning the Race to Dubai. But McIlroy largely ensured that that race was done and dusted long before he also won the tournament itself, beating Rasmus Hojgaard by two shots.
McIlroy has put himself tied for second for most Harry Vardon Trophy wins, with only Colin Montgomerie ahead of him now. And understandably, it was clear to see what it meant to McIlroy to move alongside Seve Ballesteros, given the role the Spaniard continues to play in European golf 13 years after his untimely death.
Seve Ballesteros’ son reacts as Rory McIlroy wins his sixth Race to Dubai
It was the kind of conclusion that the DP World Tour probably needed. It was their tour which arguably suffered most from the formation of LIV Golf. And there are certainly times in the season when the European circuit struggles to generate significant interest.
But no-one has done more on the course to fly the flag for both the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour than McIlroy, so it was fitting that he claimed both prizes on offer on Sunday in Dubai.
And after taking to Instagram, there was praise for McIlroy from the likes of Javier Ballesteros, Seve’s son, and Joaquin Niemann, who finished the week in a tie for seventh…
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It says everything about just how great a legacy Seve Ballesteros has left that someone like McIlroy appreciates moving alongside him so much. Ultimately, McIlroy was six when the Spaniard made his final Ryder Cup appearance, while all of his major wins came before the 35-year-old was born.
You would imagine that Ballesteros would have been incredibly proud to see what McIlroy has achieved – particularly in a week where several of the best European players insisted that they do not care about the idea of getting paid to play in the Ryder Cup.
It is because of the legacy created by Ballesteros that the likes of McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood are not thinking for one second about pushing to be paid to play in the Ryder Cup.
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