Jon Rahm capped off his breakout 2017 year in style, taking home the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship by two shots over Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Shane Lowry.
The victory was Rahm’s third of the season around the world and second on the European Tour. Monday’s release of the Official World Golf Rankings show the 23-year-old Spaniard as the fourth-ranked player in the world behind only Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
Rahm’s winning formula ????#DPWTC #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/EmspttY4QI
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 20, 2017
GolfChannel.com’s Will Gray wrapped up the Euro Tour season finale in Dubai that saw Tommy Fleetwood outlast Justin Rose for the Race to Dubai title.
Jon Rahm captured the final tournament on the European Tour calendar, a result that helped Tommy Fleetwood take home the season-long Race to Dubai title.
Rahm shot a final-round 67 to finish two shots clear of Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Shane Lowry at the DP World Tour Championship. It’s the second European Tour win of the year for the Spaniard, who also captured the Irish Open and won on the PGA Tour in January at the Farmers Insurance Open.
“I could not be more proud of what I’ve done this week,” Rahm told reporters. “Having the weekend that I’ve had, actually shooting 12 under on the last 36 holes, bogey-free round today, it’s really special.”
But the key finish came from Justin Rose, who held the 54-hole lead in Dubai but dropped back into a tie for fourth after closing with a 70. Rose entered the week as one of only three players who could win the Race to Dubai, along with Sergio Garcia and Fleetwood, who started with a lead of around 250,000 Euros.
With Fleetwood in the middle of the tournament pack, ultimately tying for 21st after a final-round 74, the door was open for Rose to capture the title thanks to a late charge despite playing in half the events that Fleetwood did. Rose captured both the WGC-HSBC Champions and Turkish Airlines Open, and was one round away from a two-trophy photo shoot in Dubai.
Instead, his T-4 finish meant he came up just short, as Fleetwood won the season-long race by 58,821 Euros.
The title caps a remarkable season for Fleetwood, who won the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship as well as the French Open to go along with a pair of runner-up finishes and a fourth-place showing at the U.S. Open.
— — —
Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest goings-on in the world of golf by following the SwingxSwing Clubhouse on social media. We share stories, stats and breaking news on Twitter, keep the fun going off the course on Instagram and share any and all golf-related topics on Facebook.
Never be the odd golfer out when your friends are talking about the latest or funniest happenings in golf. Sign up for the SxS newsletter today!
