Hatton Cruises to DP World Tour Championship Victory as McIlroy Matches Montgomerie
Tyrrell Hatton won the DP World Tour Championship by five shots on Sunday, beating Rory McIlroy for his sixth Rolex Series title. McIlroy finished second, and that was enough to win a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title.
The fight for the Race to Dubai went right down to the wire. Hatton, by contrast, had a fairly calm afternoon. He carded a final-round 66 on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, with seven birdies and one bogey.
A Ninth DP World Tour Title for Hatton
Hatton missed the green with his approach at the par-five 18th. Even so, he chipped on and two-putted to finish the season finale in style. It is his ninth victory on the DP World Tour.
“This is really special,” Hatton said afterwards. “I was really nervous today. I didn’t say anything to anyone in my team, or even to Emily. I’ve had a bit of heartbreak around here, and I felt like it was going to be a difficult day.
“I’m just really proud of how I played on the back nine. The putter was amazing and certainly saved me all week. It feels so good to win here.”
How the Final Round Unfolded
Hatton began the day one shot ahead of Victor Perez. He made a fine par save at the first after a wayward tee shot, then pulled ahead with back-to-back birdies from the second.
A bogey at the fourth was his only mistake of the day. Mikael Lindberg briefly drew level at the top of the leaderboard. However, Hatton’s iron play stayed sharp, and a birdie at the seventh took him to the turn in 34.
After that, he found his rhythm on the back nine. Birdies at 10, 12, 14 and 15 gave him a comfortable cushion coming home.
“I was feeling weirdly nervous, so I tried not to look at the leaderboards too much,” Hatton explained. “I caught a glimpse of where I was on the sixth, the par three. Then I tried not to look again until the par-five 14th.
“I was just trying to keep my head down and make birdies. Conditions felt marginally easier today because there was less wind. Some of the greens were so fast, though, and I found it difficult at times to get the pace right. I’m just glad it worked out in the end.”
Hatton becomes the fourth Englishman to win the DP World Tour Championship. He follows Lee Westwood (2009), Matt Fitzpatrick (2016, 2020, 2025) and Danny Willett (2018).
McIlroy Equals Montgomerie’s Race to Dubai Record
McIlroy finished runner-up at the DP World Tour Championship for the second year in a row. As a result, he claimed his fifth straight Race to Dubai title, which ties Colin Montgomerie’s long-standing record of eight.
The Northern Irishman needed to finish solo second to stay ahead of Eugenio Chacarra in the season-long standings. He did exactly that with a bogey-free 67, finishing two shots clear of the Spaniard. Chacarra ended the week tied for third with Oliver Lindell.
PGA Tour Cards Confirmed
Chacarra does have some consolation. He takes the top PGA Tour card on offer through the DP World Tour.
The ten players heading to the PGA Tour are:
- Eugenio Chacarra
- Patrick Reed
- Casey Jarvis
- Jayden Schaper
- Daniel Hillier
- Jacob Skov Olesen
- Bernd Wiesberger
- Andy Sullivan
- Oliver Lindell
- Joe Dean
