The title for Matt Fitzpatrick, the crown for Rory McIlroy. The final of the European golf circuit, the DP World Tour Championship on the Jumeirah track in Dubai, elevated the Englishman this Sunday to champion of the event after winning a tie-break over the Northern Irishman after both finished at -18. McIlroy remained without the trophy but won another juicier one, that of king of the Race to Dubai, the ranking that rewards the best of the year and which he won for the seventh time in his career. Rory thus culminates a dream season in which he celebrated the Augusta Masters, the green jacket with which he completed the Grand Slam, and in which he was the protagonist of the Ryder Cup played by Europe in New York.
Ángel Ayora was right at the gates of the ticket for the PGA Tour. The 21 year old from Malaga finished eighth in Dubai with -14, a notable place of honor but insufficient to capture one of the 10 cards of the American circuit that are repeated in the Race to Dubai. In his rookie season in tours European, the Spaniard came close to the jackpot he always had between his eyebrows. Ayora thinks big, and it wasn’t enough for him to participate in some Grand Slam events next year (he qualified for the British Open), but he aspired to get a full pass to the world elite at the first opportunity. The flame continued to burn until the 72nd hole at Jumeirah, after a thrilling final charge with three little birds followed by 14 to 16 which he failed to climb to climb further positions.
Ayora thus captured his eighth the top ten sure, five in the last six appointments, a fairy tale sprint starting in October which included a ninth-place finish at the Spanish Open. Your coach and caddyJuan Ochoa, and his representative, Javier Ballesteros, Seve’s eldest son, have a diamond in their hands, a stratospheric boxer with a big head and an environment that keeps his feet on the ground. A reflection of his personality, and how clear his path is, is his rejection last year of a two-season offer to play in the Saudi League, LIV. “I prefer to be remembered for the story I wrote rather than the money I earned,” he told EL PAÍS in December.
The PGA Tour still awaits a Spanish golfer after the departure of Jon Rahm for LIV and the fleeting passage of Jorge Campillo. Ayora came close to qualifying this year and looks to be the great asset to reach the top.
Qualifying for the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
