Matt Fitzpatrick capped the 2025 season with a dramatic victory at the DP World Tour Championship, defeating Rory McIlroy in a playoff to claim his third title at the event.
The Englishman began the final round one shot behind the lead and surged early with three birdies in his opening five holes. A flawless bogey-free 66 set the clubhouse lead at 18-under par.
World No. 2 McIlroy forced a play-off with a clutch eagle at the 18th, but his challenge faltered when he found the penalty area off the tee on the first extra hole. Fitzpatrick capitalised, getting up and down for par to secure the win, his second Rolex Series victory and his third DP World Tour Championship crown, adding to his triumphs in 2016 and 2020.
McIlroy’s runner-up finish was enough to clinch his seventh Harry Vardon Trophy after a standout year that included completing the career Grand Slam with a Masters victory, winning the Amgen Irish Open, and playing a key role in Europe’s historic away Ryder Cup win at Bethpage Black. He has now topped the Race to Dubai for four consecutive seasons and is one title shy of Colin Montgomerie’s record of eight.
Matt Fitzpatrick and Rory McIlroy. Photo: DP World Tour
Tommy Fleetwood, Laurie Canter, Ludvig Åberg and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen shared third place at 17-under.
Fitzpatrick’s win caps a strong second half of the year. After a challenging start to the season, he delivered a top ten at the US PGA Championship, followed by consecutive fourth-place finishes at the Genesis Scottish Open and The 153rd Open. Further top-six results at the Betfred British Masters, Omega European Masters, and BMW PGA Championship continued his resurgence before his standout performance in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory.
At Jumeirah Golf Estates, Fitzpatrick opened with back-to-back 69s, then climbed the leaderboard with a Saturday 66 to sit one shot off the lead heading into the final round. On Sunday, he birdied the second, holed a nearly 50-foot putt on the fourth, and added another gain at the fifth. After a stretch of eight pars, he reignited his charge with birdies at the 14th and 15th before adding one more at the 18th to finish at 18-under.
A composed par in the play-off delivered his first DP World Tour win since the 2023 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
“It means the world,” Fitzpatrick said. “I struggled at the start of this year… but the way I played today, I feel like I didn’t hit one bad shot. I’m so proud of myself and the effort everyone puts in behind the scenes. What a feeling.
“I had the support of my wife, my friends, and my family during the tough periods. To turn it around and be here now is very special. I really want to make sure I thoroughly enjoy it.”
