How has Rory McIlroy wrapped up the Race to Dubai for a fifth time despite playing a limited schedule on the DP World Tour? Nick Dougherty reflects on his impressive season and why he is the deserved winner of the Order of Merit once again...
A little bit of the drama may have been removed from the DP World Tour Championship this year because we already know who the No 1 is in the Race to Dubai, but I think that is more testament to the qualify of golf that McIlroy has played and the consistency he has delivered.
You look at McIlroy's performances across both the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour since the PGA Championship in May and he has barely finished outside of the top 10, which is just incredible.
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There was the win at the Genesis Scottish Open in July to add to the Hero Dubai Desert Classic victory at the start of the year, so winning two Rolex Series events was always going to make him tough to catch.
Throw in his performances in the majors, with a runner-up finish at the US Open either side of decent showings at Oak Hill and The Open, and you have the results of a player who has just had another really good year.
Maybe McIlroy hasn't grabbed quite as many headlines because we saw those four wins earlier in the year from Jon Rahm and then Scottie Scheffler be incredibly impressive on the PGA Tour, but his year once again reiterates the sort of player that he is and the consistency he delivers.
The right Race to Dubai champion?
McIlroy has now won the Order of Merit five times and he has been the standout player across the last decade or more, with the only thing missing - and the thing he's desperate for more than anything else - is to add to that major championship tally.
I understand the frustration that some viewers feel when watching him not have his best stuff, because you feel like he can be even better, but that just validates the bar he has set within the game.
McIlroy balances being a global player and playing most of his golf on the PGA Tour to come over and support the DP World Tour, where he is still managing to accumulate enough points to get past guys who are playing week in, week out over here.
The fact that McIlroy has wrapped up the Order of Merit in just nine appearances shows that when he has played, he has been better the rest. You want the No 1 to be the best player and for me, this season, he has justified that title.
I understand the romance of being to say someone who plays all season long on the DP World Tour and churns out results should take the trophy, but with the infrastructure of the game as it is now that's not always going to be possible with the changing scheduling.
We're going to see more and more of the best players at the back end of the season, while up until this point we've seen them mainly come back for Rolex Series events. McIlroy has done that and won two of the four this season, so I think he will be the right man holding the Harry Vardon Trophy.
McIlroy ready to impress again?
You would usually expect a player to be a little rusty after a few weeks off, like McIlroy has had since the Ryder Cup, but there are a few reasons why we shouldn't expect that from him this week at the DP World Tour Championship.
McIlroy is used to having nice chunks of space in his schedule and we've seen him perform well when he's done that before, plus he obviously has a great record in Dubai and has already won around the Earth Course twice before.
He comes in oozing in confidence with the Order of Merit title wrapped up, although he's a player you could argue performs even better when there's more pressure on him. He was one of the shining lights for Europe at the Ryder Cup and will be buzzing to tee it up here in Dubai.
I love that fact that nearly all of our Ryder Cup team will be participating this week, which just shows how much this event means to the best players on the DP World Tour. It's going to add even more energy to an already big week to finish the season.
It's hard to imagine McIlroy will be far away come Sunday afternoon, although Rahm has played well for large parts this year and Viktor Hovland is obviously the hot hand after that brilliant finish to the PGA Tour season to win the FedExCup. It's going to be great tussle!
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