Rory lies in wait for Dubai jackpot
RORY McILROY began the year by resigning his membership of the European Tour. He could end it in the Middle East this week as the winner of the Race to Dubai.
Much will depend on how the current leader, Bernd Wiesberger, fares today in the final round of the penultimate event, the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa.
The big-hitting Austrian is currently joint sixth in Sun City and a top-four finish would end McIlroy’s hopes. But it would only need an average last round from the 34-year-old from Vienna to throw the door wide open for the in-form Northern Irishman.
If Wiesberger finishes 10th both today and next Sunday, for example, McIlroy would go past him with a victory in the final event, the DP World Tour Championship.
Furthermore, McIlroy would win the whole shooting match for the fourth time provided Jon Rahm, currently second in the overall Race, and third-placed Shane Lowry didn’t finish runner-up in the DP event.
It was this time last year that McIlroy revealed he would be concentrating on America this campaign and that he didn’t think he could fulfil the quota of events in Europe that would allow him to retain dual membership. He duly resigned in January.
The 30-year-old admitted it was a heart to heart with wife Erica that gave him second thoughts and a deal was thrashed out with the European Tour chief Keith Pelley that allowed him to rejoin. McIlroy started collecting Race to Dubai points at the PGA Championship in New York in May.
He moved to fifth with his recent victory in the HSBC Champions events in China and has been helped by the fact nobody in the top ten made a strong move in the first of the three play-off events in Turkey last week, or to this point in South Africa.
Another factor in his favour is the fact the points totals have been raised significantly for the final event in Dubai — not to mention the prize money, with $3million (£2.3m) on offer to the winner. With a £1.5m bonus going to the winner of the Race to Dubai, McIlroy could add another £3.9m to a money-laden year that has seen him gather in more than £20.1m in tournament earnings alone.
Understandably, Lowry’s form has yet to come close to the heights of Portrush since that fabulous win in the Open and he goes to Dubai more in hope than expectation.
Given McIlroy’s formidable record on the Jumeirah Estates course in Dubai, Wiesberger could do with moving his total out of reach today. McIlroy has twice claimed the Race to Dubai with victories in the final event. After winning in China he said he was simply looking to win the final event to add more gloss to a season where he also won three times on the PGA tour. If events go his way today, there could be a lot more at stake than McIlroy imagined.
It would be hard, though, not to feel for Weisberger if he doesn’t end up on top. The Nedbank is his 28th event of an exhausting season where he’s made no secret of his desire to claim what would be a notable landmark in the history of Austrian sport. He’s also won two of the tour’s first-tier events in the Scottish Open and the Italian Open, plus the Made in Denmark tournament.
Following a slow start, Wiesberger did a good job of staying calm yesterday and his round of 70 has left him in a decent position to contend for the main prizes and strengthen his chances of finishing Europe’s No1.
‘It’s obviously in the back of my mind, but it’s important just to concentrate on the job in hand and I’m proud of the way I’m not getting ahead of myself,’ Wiesberger said.
Elsewhere, the event has been curiously dominated by players who, in terms of eligibility, barely scraped into the 60-man field.
Indeed, the leader, South African Zander Lombard, took the final spot and has seized his chance for a one-shot advantage over former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen and Belgian Thomas Detry.