Matthew Fitzpatrick held his nerve in the tense closing stages even as Rory McIlroy threatened to conjure up a magical putt not once but twice in the closing minutes of the 2025 DP World Tour Championship.
Fitzpatrick survived a play-off against McIlroy to become the third man to win the DP World Tour Championship three times.
Fitzpatrick won the DP World Tour Championship a third time, while McIlroy won his seventh Race to Dubai title.
McIlroy, after hitting his tee shot into the water in the first play-off hole, took a penalty. He then saw his par putt stop just short of the hole while Fitzpatrick overcame a poor third shot before holing a tap-in par putt to win his first title since October 2023.
Minutes earlier on the same 18rh, McIlroy had holed a 16-foot eagle putt to push the tournament into extra holes.
Tommy Fleetwood, who was on fire on the back nine with five birdies, may have left it too late, as he was in the big bunch tied at third Ludvig Aberg (66), Laurie Canter (67) and Neergaard-Petersen (68).
Yet Fleetwood's season has had a dream finish over his last three starts. He won the DP World India Championship; was second after a play-off loss at Abu Dhabi and was tied third at the DP World Tour Championship on Sunday. He was also T-3 at St Jude in the first PGA Tour play-offs, then T-4 at BMW and won the PGA Tour Championship.
Fitzpatrick was smooth in the closing stages with three birdies in the last five holes of regulation play, as McIlroy swayed between agony and ecstasy over the last three holes.
McIlroy seeking a fourth DP World Tour title, and a seventh 'Race to Dubai' (also the Order of Merit), bogeyed the 16th and saw the birdie putt horseshoe out on the 17th. To make up for all that, he knocked in a 16-footer eagle putt on the 18th to force a play-off as Fitzpatrick, who had rallied from being three behind with six to play, set the clubhouse target of 18-under.
When McIlroy rolled in the eagle putt to force a play-off he let out a roar and the momentum seemed to be his and even as Fitzpatrick was laughing at how good McIlroy was in clutch situations.
In the play-off Fitzpatrick teed off first and found the left rough but the lie was good enough. Then McIlroy went into water and Fitzpatrick with 282 yards to go but on the downslope, opted to lay up. It spun and only just cleared the water.
McIlroy took a penalty drop but with 234 yards to go he hit a 5-wood, just as he did in regulation, but this time ended in the bunker. Fitzpatrick erred, too, from 130 yards and the ball landed back right and rolled off the green.
With his fourth shot, McIlroy splashed out of the bunker but it did not get up the slope and was stuck on top of the ridge.
Fitzpatrick with his fourth played his wedge well, catching the slope perfectly and the ball rolled to less than two feet from the pin.
McIlroy had a tough but makeable par putt of almost 25 feet. He almost did. But this time he was unable to repeat the magic and his putt, which was on the line, stopped short.
Fitzpatrick, already a winner in 2016 and 2020, made no mistake to win his third DP World Tour Championship, joining McIlroy (2012, 2105 and 2014) and Jon Rahm (2017, 2019 and 2022).
Fitzpatrick said, "Three times is very nice. The names that have done it three times, it's nice to be a part of that. "
As for McIlroy, who won his seventh Race to Dubai title, he said, "I'd love to be the winningest European in terms of Order of Merits and season-long races so hopefully I can catch him (Montgomerie) and surpass him. "
McIlroy is now one short of Colin Montgomerie.
On his game on Sunday, McIlroy said, "Yeah, got off to the perfect start. 3-under through five, 4-under through seven. I felt like I had sort of taken control of the golf tournament. "
"Then I made two bogeys on the way in on 12 and 16 and didn't birdie 14 and 15, the birdie holes. Obviously I knew I needed something to happen on the last. I actually hit a great shot on 17, but ended up a little short. Hit a great putt that lipped-out. "
"On the last I hit a great 5-wood. I was lucky to see Rasmus's putt before mine. His puttt hung out a little bit before it started to turn, so got a read from him. It was a great way to finish, making the play-off.
"But unfortunately hit it in the water there on 18 in the playoff. Just sort of put me behind the 8-ball. But happy for Matt. He's had a great end of the season. "
There were other rewards for many more this week. After missing out by one spot in 2024, Jordan Smith was the last man in this year to pick up a PGA card, which was on offer for the Top-10 not otherwise qualified for the PGA Tour. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen made it into the top 10 thanks to a birdie on his final hole.
The 10 who go to the PGA Tour were: Marco Penge, Laurie Canter, Kristoffer Reitan, Adrien Saddier, Alex Noren, John Parry, Haotong Li, Keita Nakajima, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, and Jordan Smith.
