Rory McIlroy climbed to the top of the European Ryder Cup Qualification Rankings in Partnership with Rolex after a two-stroke victory at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
The victory saw the seven-time Ryder Cup player jump three places to top qualification on 792.07 points, as he bids for an eighth consecutive appearance for Team Europe.
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The win also saw McIlroy claim the Race to Dubai for a sixth time, tying European legend Seve Ballesteros’ six wins.
A feat that means a lot to the five-time Ryder Cup winner.
McIlroy said: “It’s really cool (to match Seve). I think everyone knows what Seve means to European golf and to Ryder Cup players.
“We had a changing room (in Rome, 2023) with Seve's shirt from '95, the last Ryder Cup he played.
“He means so much to European golf and for me to be mentioned in the same breath, I’m very proud.”
Rory McIlroy on matching Seve Ballesteros' record 🥹 pic.twitter.com/Zp0lyPsuGJ
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 17, 2024
For McIlroy, the next challenge is to chase down another European Ryder Cup great in Colin Montgomerie, who holds the record for Race to Dubai titles with seven.
“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 added.
“I don’t see that being any different for the foreseeable future. You know, I’m going to go for my seventh next year and try to chase Monty down.”
Meanwhile, Rasmus Højgaard maintained his consistent form this season, finishing in second place at Jumeirah Golf Estates, to hold onto second place in the European Rankings with 706.53 points.
After challenging McIlroy all day, Højgaard would find himself just one stroke behind as the pair made their way to the 18th tee.
However, a closing par for Højgaard combine with a closing birdie for McIlroy saw the Dane miss out by two strokes.
Højgaard will be looking to follow in his twin brother Nicolai’s footsteps, who was a member of the victorious 2023 Ryder Cup team, as he bids to make Captain Luke Donald’s 2025 European Team at Bethpage, New York, for the first time next September.
As it stands, McIlroy (792.07 points) and Højgaard (706.53 points) lead the way in European qualifying, with Tyrrell Hatton (587.84 points), Matt Wallace (505.42 points), Paul Waring (455.23 points) and Niklas Nørgaard (414.83 points) making up the current six automatic qualifiers.
The qualification process will end at the DP World Tour’s Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo, which concludes on Sunday August 24, 2025.
