Rory McIlroy finally secures The Race to Dubai title
Last year, Luke Donald became the only player to win both the money lists on the European Tour and the PGA Tour in one year. That was an incredible feat to achieve, as it never happened before, in the history of the game.
For Rory McIlroy, it was just another record, as he comfortably joined Donald by winning both the titles this season.
Earlier this season, he won the PGA Tour Official Money List, thanks chiefly to his four PGA Tour victories, including a win in the PGA Championship.
Last week, he entered the Barclays Singapore Open, in a bid to retain his position on top of The Race to Dubai.
At the end of the week, he found himself taking the third position on the leaderboard, which confirmed him as the 2012 Race to Dubai winner.
The Northern Irishman started off his final round campaign ranked 13th on the leaderboard.
He got off to a confident start by recording pars on each of the first four holes and followed that with birdies on the fifth and the seventh hole to reach the turn in two-under.
He then maintained his form on the back nine of the course and added another two shots to his scorecard on the 13th and the 15th hole.
Standing on the 18th green, he was eight-under for the tournament. A sparkling 35-footer for an eagle putt quickly escalated him to a 10-under par tournament score.
Right after he finished his campaign at the Sentosa Golf Club, he received a call from Luke Donald congratulating him on his success in The Race to Dubai.
It was a great moment for the 23-year-old, as he missed out on a chance of winning the prestigious title in 2009 and 2011.
“It really is hugely satisfying to finally become the European No.1, especially after finishing second two of the last three years,” said McIlroy, after becoming the Order of Merit’s youngest winner since Sandy Lyle in 1980.
“The money list has been cheapened a little bit by not having the leading players at events towards the end of the year,” added McIlroy.
“It’s still an award for consistency and you need to play well throughout the year in all the tournaments you attend”.
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