Rory McIlroy put together a historic Sunday at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, but his emotion after a record-tying Race to Dubai title had nothing to do with the latest trophy going into his cabinet at home.
McIlroy, the world No. 2, finished at 10 under in the DP World Tour Championship, placing solo second behind Tyrrell Hatton but, more importantly, two shots in front of Eugenio Chacarra. That gave him enough points to win another Race to Dubai title, the DP World Tour's season-long points race. It's his eighth time to claim the honor, tying Colin Montgomerie for the most in the history of the DP World Tour.
After the round, McIlroy was overcome with emotion. He revealed his father, Gerry, has been hospitalized for the past two months after
a double lung transplant in September. He spent numerous days in ICU, but the procedure was a success, and Gerry is recovering well, McIlroy said. That doesn't mean his family hasn't gone through some challenging moments the past few weeks.
"My dad -- hopefully everyone's dad in this room -- is a massive part of my life, and has been my biggest supporter, is the one that got me into the game and the one that told me to follow my dreams and never give up and never think that you're not good enough or you're not big enough," McIlroy said. "He's been making a really steady recovery. I went up to see him before I left for Abu Dhabi a couple of weeks ago, and he said to me, 'Rors, go and win me The Race to Dubai.'
An emotional Rory McIlroy speaks about his father after winning an eighth Race to Dubai title. #DPWTC | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/JIMjEgy5uF
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 15, 2026
"So that was, you know -- that was in my head for the last two weeks, and I really wanted to do it for him and I know he's in hospital in his hospital bed, and he would have been watching this morning. It was nice to be able to get it done for him."
Chacarra, the young Spaniard who earned a PGA Tour card on Sunday thanks to his finish in the Race to Dubai, led in the standings with one event to go, but McIlroy finished one spot ahead on the leaderboard, giving him enough points to claim victory to the season-long prize.
McIlroy was sure to compliment his European ally after the conclusion of play Sunday, saying Chacarra looks like a player who will be an asset for the Euro side in coming Ryder Cups. Chacarra, if his play that earned him a PGA Tour card continues, is a strong candidate to make the team at Adare Manor come next September.
In 2026, McIlroy has only one worldwide win, defending his title at the Masters. He marveled at his consistency after the round, saying he's proud of constantly putting himself in contention, even if he didn't win as many trophies as he would've liked.
"But if you're going to win one, the Masters is not a bad one to do," he joked.
More importantly was tying Monty's record. McIlroy has long spoken about his goal to join the Scot on top of the DP World Tour record books as one of the most successful players in the Tour's history.
Sunday's result makes it even more solid what was already well known: McIlroy may just be the best European golfer of all time.
"They don't get any less special, I'll tell you that," McIlroy said. "And this one, I had to work hard for this one this week. Eugenio has obviously had a great week himself, and yeah, I think the last couple were maybe a little less stressful than this one.
"Very proud to win this again, and yeah, put my name alongside Monty's with eight, and we'll go again next year and try to get one more."
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Emotional Rory McIlroy dedicates record 8th Race to Dubai title to father Gerry
