Rory McIlroy certainly had a memorable finish Sunday at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai – just not the way he imagined.
After entering the day with a one-shot lead, the 32-year-old Irishman fell down the leaderboard during a final round, finishing tied for sixth. His frustrations appeared to boil over as McIlroy ripped his shirt, exposing part of his chest as a result, according to The Telegraph.
McIlroy caught a bad break on the 15th hole, with his pitch shot hitting the flagstick and bouncing into the sand trap. He ended up bogeying the hole, finishing Sunday 2-over par and 12-under for the tournament. American Collin Morikawa won the event at 17-under after shooting 6-under in the final round to claim the $3 million champion’s purse.
McIlroy, who has won four major championships, will next compete at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, which kicks off next week.
It’s been a challenging few weeks for McIlroy, who broke down in late September following his performance at this year’s Ryder Cup.
“I’ve never really cried or cared about what I’ve done as an individual; I couldn’t give a [bleep],” McIlroy said. “I love being a part of this team. I love my teammates so much and I should have done more for them this week.”
At the time, McIlroy had entered the match at 0-3. He won his Ryder Cup singles match against Xander Schauffele.
“I just can’t wait to get another shot at this. It is by far the best experience in golf and I hope there are boys and girls watching this today who aspire to play in this event or the Solheim Cup. No matter what happens later, I am proud of every single player, I’m proud of the captain and vice-captains,” he said.
