Rory McIlroy has seven Race to Dubai titles and one very specific number on his mind: eight. Win an eighth, and he draws level with Colin Montgomerie, per Golf Channel’s coverage from the DP World India Championship. That makes the Race to Dubai record his real target, and getting there starts this week in New Delhi. We already covered why McIlroy flew to India to chase Montgomerie’s mark.
Why McIlroy’s Race to Dubai record chase starts in India
The India Championship tees off Thursday, and McIlroy is not hiding what he wants from it. Ahead of the event, he told reporters that “this is really a good opportunity this week to cut into that lead.” Golf Channel’s clip shows him talking about a delay during round 1 and about his motivation. (The clip has no transcript, so what caused the delay is not confirmed here.)
The motivation is easy to read. As The National reported, McIlroy, 37, said that “getting to eight and drawing level with Monty would mean a lot.”
Where the standings actually stand
Here is the problem. McIlroy is third, not first, which is a lovely spot on a podium and an awkward one on a mission. The Irish Times reports he has 3,115.86 points. That is 307.76 behind leader Patrick Reed and 142.03 behind second-placed Eugenio Chacarra, so his eighth Race to Dubai title is not a given.
Chacarra moved past him by finishing runner-up at the Spanish Open, and he did it playing through a fractured toe. Try arguing with that.
The raw numbers also hide a quirk. McIlroy has played only 10 tournaments, while Reed has played 19, and Chacarra has played 27, nearly three times McIlroy’s workload. Every start McIlroy makes counts for a lot, which is why a week like this one matters.
Montgomerie’s record and what it took
Montgomerie’s mark is serious. He won seven straight Order of Merit crowns from 1993 to 1999, then added an eighth in 2005, according to Golf Channel’s list of multiple winners. McIlroy won his first title in 2012. He has won the last four in a row.
His year has been strong too. In April he retained his Masters title by one shot and became the fourth back-to-back champion at Augusta, after Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods.
Not bad company.
Reed stands in the way of the Race to Dubai title record
Reed is the man in front, and he wants history of his own. Yahoo Sports notes he would become only the second American Race to Dubai winner, after Collin Morikawa.
Here’s the thing: that lead is not locked in. McIlroy cut into it at Wentworth last month. He finished second at the BMW PGA Championship after Reed retired injured during round 2, and that result more than halved the gap.
One caveat on the standings. Some earlier reports had McIlroy second behind Reed. However, the newer reports from the Irish Times and the DP World Tour put him third, and those are the ones used here. McIlroy’s off-course politics have kept him in the headlines too, as when he said he’d vote to let LIV golfers come back.
What happens next
After India, the schedule gets heavier. McIlroy is confirmed for the Abu Dhabi Championship at Yas Links from November 5 to 8. Then comes the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai from November 12 to 15, where the Race to Dubai is decided. Both late events are Rolex Series stops, which carry elevated points and prize money.
So the math is simple, even if the golf is not. Trim the gap in Delhi, and the finish in the desert gets a lot more interesting for the Race to Dubai record.
And who wants to bet against a man who just retained the Masters?
