DP World Tour Championship: Rory McIlroy ends year as European number one; Jon Rahm claims title

It is the 4th clip McIlroy has finished the twelvemonth arsenic European fig 1 and the archetypal clip since 2015

Rory McIlroy ended the twelvemonth arsenic European fig 1 contempt Spain's Jon Rahm claiming a 3rd DP World Tour Championship rubric successful Dubai connected Sunday.

World fig 1 McIlroy was a changeable backmost successful 4th aft a four-under 68.

"It feels similar a agelong clip since I lifted that trophy," McIlroy told Sky Sports.

"It's been 7 years and it feels conscionable arsenic bully arsenic I tin remember."

The Northern Irishman, who started the last circular connected 12 nether aft carding a seven-under 65 connected Saturday, lifted the Harry Vardon Trophy for the 4th clip successful his career.

England's Matt Fitzpatrick, McIlroy's lone rival for the apical spot successful the DP World Tour rankings, was connected 14 nether heading into Sunday but deed a treble bogey and 3 bogeys to extremity his chances of finishing the play arsenic Europe's fig one.

To apical the ranking, June's US Open champion Fitzpatrick would person needed to triumph and McIlroy to decorativeness second, oregon if Fitzpatrick had finished arsenic runner-up, helium would person required McIlroy to beryllium extracurricular the apical seven.

McIlroy congratulated Rahm, who won his ninth rubric connected the DP World Tour and became the archetypal subordinate to triumph the tourney 3 times astatine Jumeirah Golf Estates.

"It would person been bully to get 1 triumph successful determination astatine the extremity of the twelvemonth but Jon played an unthinkable tourney and afloat deserved it," McIlroy said.

"I would similar to accidental I americium close up determination successful the champion players successful the satellite - but helium is close up determination with me."