By winning a seventh Race to Dubai title, Rory McIlroy now sits one behind record holder Colin Montgomerie.
Across his 11 appearances on the 2025 Race to Dubai, McIlroy won two titles – the Masters Tournament and Amgen Irish Open – and registered five top tens including two runner-up finishes.
The Race to Dubai is a points-based standing for DP World Tour members which includes all Tour events as well as the four Major Championships, with the winner presented with the Harry Vardon Trophy.
After claiming his fourth season-long crown in a row to eclipse the late Seve Ballesteros’ tally of six, an emotional McIlroy said the achievement was more than he ever dreamed of.
But, on the back of arguably a career-best season which saw him complete the Grand Slam of Major Championship victories, his sights were shifting to Montgomerie’s mark.
“I want it [eight titles], of course I do,” said McIlroy, who won his first Race to Dubai title in 2012 and then won back-to-back in 2014 and 2015.
“I was the first European to win the Grand Slam and I would love to be the European with the most wins in terms of the Order of Merit and season-long races.”
Formerly known as Order of Merit titles, Montgomerie won a remarkable seven in a row from 1993 to 1999, before adding an eighth in 2005 at 42.
After the inception of the DP World Tour in 1972, Ballesteros won three in a row from 1976 to 1978, before emerging victorious in 1986, 1988 and 1991 as his haul of six was spread across a 15-year span.
Here’s a table of all the players to have claimed a Race to Dubai/Order of Merit title since 1972:
| Player | Harry Vardon Trophies | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Colin Montgomerie | 8 | 1993-1999, 2005 |
| Rory McIlroy | 7 | 2012, 2014, 2015, 2022-2025 |
| Seve Ballesteros | 6 | 1976-1978, 1986, 1988, 1991 |
| Peter Oosterhuis | 3 (also 1971) | 1972-1974 |
| Lee Westwood | 3 | 2000, 2009, 2020 |
| Sandy Lyle | 3 | 1979, 1980, 1985 |
| Bernhard Langer | 2 | 1981, 1984 |
| Ian Woosnam | 2 | 1987, 1990 |
| Sir Nick Faldo | 2 | 1983, 1992 |
| Retief Goosen | 2 | 2001, 2002 |
| Ernie Els | 2 | 2003, 2004 |
| Henrik Stenson | 2 | 2013, 2016 |
| Dale Hayes | 1 | 1975 |
| Greg Norman | 1 | 1982 |
| Ronan Rafferty | 1 | 1989 |
| Pádraig Harrington | 1 | 2006 |
| Justin Rose | 1 | 2007 |
| Robert Karlsson | 1 | 2008 |
| Martin Kaymer | 1 | 2010 |
| Luke Donald | 1 | 2011 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | 1 | 2017 |
| Francesco Molinari | 1 | 2018 |
| Jon Rahm | 1 | 2019 |
| Collin Morikawa | 1 | 2021 |