McIlroy considers himself long shot to repeat in Race to Dubai

Rory McIlroy finished the PGA Tour season in style, winning the Deutsche Bank Championship and the Tour Championship to win the FedEx Cup for the first time. After a delirious Ryder Cup performance and a T-4 at the WGC-HSBC Champions in China, McIlroy returns to Dubai looking to capture the points-race double.

McIlroy comes into the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in fourth place in the Race to Dubai points standings. He trails leader Henrik Stenson, as well Danny Willett and four-time winner this season Alex Noren in points. Conceivably, McIlroy is the last player in the standings with a chance to win the Race and its $ 1.25 million bonus to the winner.

However, McIlroy, knowing Stenson’s record at the host course and Noren’s hot streak, has dismissed his chances as fantasy.

“Mathematically I can win the Race to Dubai, but it’s not going to happen,” he said Tuesday. “I wouldn’t hold my breath. I think the three guys that are ahead of me are playing very good golf, especially the two Swedes, Henrik and Alex. Alex with what he’s done over the past few weeks; Henrik has had a fantastic year, and so has Danny, obviously. So I don’t expect those guys to play badly this week so I’m just concentrating on trying to win the golf tournament and if I can do that, I’ll be very happy.”

McIlroy is somewhat downplaying his chances, and his results, on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates. He’s won the Race to Dubai three of the last four years (Stenson won the other, in 2014), and he’s finished inside the top 15 here in each of the last five years, including a win last year. And then there’s his form since September, which rivals anyone in the world.

The Ulsterman, who spent some of his down time planning for his upcoming wedding, hopes, regardless of the outcome in the points race, to end the year with a fourth win.

“I feel like my game is in pretty good shape,” he said. “I’ve played this golf course pretty well in the past, and hopefully can play it just as well, if not better this week. It would be a good way to finish the year on a high and get a victory and lift the trophy and hopefully make the turkey taste a bit better at Christmas.”

Devil Ball Golf – Golf – Yahoo Sports

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