McIlroy must be at his best to chase the record in Dubai

Rory McIlroy wants to match the record of Colin Montgomerie, who won the Race to Dubai eight times. The reigning champion of the last four seasons is aiming to take the trophy at the end of the season by overtaking Eugenio Chacarra.

McIlroy is currently in second place, more than 500 points behind Chacarra, the former LIV Golf player. The world No. 2 has won the season-ending tournament at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai three times. Last year, however, he lost a playoff to his Ryder Cup teammate Matthew Fitzpatrick.

Speaking on Tuesday, McIlroy said that in recent years he has played well much earlier in the season and has not needed to show his full potential. "This week is different. The course has changed over the years. The tee shots are much more punishing this year and the rough is very thick. You get a lot of bad lies," he said.

McIlroy finished third at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, four shots behind winner Jon Rahm. The tournament can be watched live on Sky Sports from 7am on Thursday. In 2025, McIlroy completed the career Grand Slam and won the Masters 11 years after his previous win. In April, he also achieved back-to-back victories at Augusta National.