Rory McIlroy wins DP World Tour money triumph without having to hit a golf shot this week 

The 2023 season has been so good for Rory McIlroy that he has continued to win despite not playing professionally since winning the Ryder Cup. The Northern Irishman did not play in the Nedbank Golf Challenge, but the result of that event earned him the Race to Dubai title on the DP World Tour.

Playing in nine tournaments sanctioned by the main European circuit was enough for Rory McIlroy to take the lead heading into the Tour Championship in Dubai. With 5,164.50 points, he is already out of reach in the rankings.

Second-ranked Jon Rahm was also absent from the penultimate event of the year in South Africa on Sunday. Third-ranked Adrian Meronk was there but finished 15th, earning 94.5 points.

However, neither Rahm nor Meronk had a chance of catching Rory McIlroy, who was more than 2,000 points ahead of both of them. In other words, although the Northern Irishman's victory was official on Sunday, he was already assured of the Race to Dubai title a few weeks ago.

This is the fifth time that Rory McIlroy has been the leader heading into the DP World Tour Championship (2012, 2014, 2015 and 2022). The Northern Irishman also leads the 2023 earnings list with $7.9 million.

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Rory McIlroy's path to Race to Dubai title

Rory McIlroy won the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open (Image via Getty).

Just nine tournaments were enough for Rory McIlroy to lead the DP World Tour rankings heading into the final event of the year. Not only did he win, but he did it with a flourish, leading the runner-up by more than 2,000 points.

McIlroy's 2023 season on the DP World Tour began at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. He won the event, earning 1,335 points and quickly climbing to the top of the leaderboard.

The second scoring event for him was the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play, where he finished third (500 points). This was followed by The Masters (no points) and the PGA Championship (T7, 275 points).

At the U.S. Open, he re-launched his position in the ranking by finishing second (1,113 points). He made another big move by winning the Genesis Scottish Open, which earned him another 1,335 points.

McIlroy rounded out his scoring with 325 points at The Open (T6), 75.3 points at the Irish Open (T16) and 206.1 points at the BMW PGA Championship (T7).

McIlroy will lead the field at the DP World Tour Championship, which begins next Thursday, November 16 at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, UAE. The final event of the season has a purse of $10 million, with $3 million going to the winner.

Jon Rahm has a mathematical chance of knocking McIlroy off the top spot on the season money list. To do so, he would have to win the Tour Championship and hope that the Northern Irishman finishes well below his potential.

McIlroy has won the Tour Championship twice with his most recent victory at the tournament coming in 2015.