Emotional Rory McIlroy dedicates record-equalling Race to Dubai title to hospitalised father Gerry

At the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, Rory McIlroy made a heartfelt dedication to his ailing father, Gerry, as he secured his record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title. McIlroy, the first European to win a career grand slam and a champion in multiple Ryder Cup matches, had previously watched from a window as Lee Westwood clinched the first Race to Dubai the previous year.

This time, however, he emerged victorious, finishing just 125 points ahead of Spanish rising star Eugenio Chacarra. The 125-point margin was a hair-raising finish, as finishing tied for second would have cost McIlroy the race.

Gerry McIlroy, a significant figure in Rory's life and his biggest supporter, had been hospitalized for two months after undergoing a double lung transplant. Before heading to the Middle East, Rory visited his father, who was recovering well in the ICU. Rory promised his dad that he would secure the Race to Dubai title, and he successfully delivered on that promise, keeping a promise to his father and golf history books.

Hatton, Rory's fellow competitor and co-titleholder, lauded Rory's exceptional career and predicted he would go down as the best European golfer in history.