Emotional McIlroy Equals Seve's Historic European Tour Record After Dubai Victory
Rory McIlroy displayed raw emotion after winning his third DP World Tour Championship, equaling Severiano Ballesteros' record of six European Tour Order of Merit titles. Only Colin Montgomerie's eight titles stand ahead of them.
Speaking to Sky Sports immediately after his victory, a tearful McIlroy reflected on matching Ballesteros' achievement: "Everyone knows what Seve means to European golf and to Ryder Cup players. European Ryder Cup locker room, all we have are quotes of Seve. We had a changing room with Seve's shirt from '95, the last Ryder Cup he played."
Man wearing blue polo shirt
The World No.3 defeated Rasmus Hojgaard and others both in Dubai and across the season to secure this historic achievement. McIlroy expressed his pride in being mentioned alongside Ballesteros, one of golf's most revered figures.
Golfer with trophy
Looking ahead, the 35-year-old McIlroy confirmed his commitment to chasing Montgomerie's record, stating: "I'm up for it. I've just won my third in a row, and I've really made it a priority of my schedule over the last few years to give myself the best chance coming into the end of the year to win The Race to Dubai."
McIlroy plans to reduce his American schedule by three or four events and will return to competition at the Dubai Desert Classic early next year, as he pursues his seventh Order of Merit title.