McIlroy rules out Race to Dubai title

Rory McIlroy does not expect to claim a third consecutive Race to Dubai title but is looking to end the year as the world's number one player.

McIlroy heads into the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in fourth place in the Race to Dubai standings but he needs Henrik Stenson to finish outside the top 45, Danny Willett to finish sixth or lower and Alex Noren to miss out on the top two if he is to win the European money-list title for the third year in a row.

Wins in the Deutsche Bank Championship and season-ending Tour Championship ensured McIlroy won the FedEx Cup title and he is aiming to become only the second man after Stenson to win the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai in the same season.

While it is mathematically possible for him to do the double, McIlroy admits he is up against it and is targeting the top spot in the world rankings.

"It's been a while since I've been in that spot. The last few years, I knew if I won this tournament, I would win the Race to Dubai," McIlroy told reporters at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.

"Now I know if I win this tournament, I'll finish the year at World Number One. So it's a big incentive for me to try and get that back. It would be nice to have that little bit of momentum going into next year.

"Mathematically I can win, but it's not going to happen. 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."

Meanwhile, the European Tour has unveiled the Rolex Series in a bid to strengthen the golf schedule from the 2017 season onwards.

The 2017 Rolex Series will feature a minimum of seven tournaments, all offering minimum prize funds of €6.45million.

Beginning with the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in May, the Rolex Series will include the Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation and the Scottish Open as well as the Italian Open, the Turkish Airlines Open, the Nedbank Challenge and the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

"I won the Irish Open, which was a huge thing personally for me. In my mind it is one of the biggest I play all year. That was nice to be able to knock that off," McIlroy said.

"I'm very grateful for the European Tour and Rolex including the Irish Open in this Rolex Series. The Irish Open's been given a great date, as well. It's two weeks before The Open on a links golf course. We're really excited about it."

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