Rory McIlroy vs Patrick Reed in a duel at the DP World Tour Championship to be crowned Race to Dubai champion is a mouthwatering prospect. And we might just get it come November.
McIlroy has coasted to the Race to Dubai title at times in his career, including winning four in a row to take his haul to seven, one shy of Collin Montgomerie’s record.
The Masters champion began the 2026 DP World Tour season as the hot favourite to equal the great Scot but Reed’s dominant start with two wins in three starts to the desert swing has made for an interesting race.
Reed sits at the Race to Dubai summit after two wins and a playoff defeat and he is comfortably clear with more than 400 points separating him and Jayden Schaper while he is near 2000 points clear of McIlroy who slipped to 30th place.
This is no fluke, with Reed leaving LIV Golf and unable to return to the PGA Tour until August, the American will be able to extend his Race to Dubai lead should he opt to keep playing regularly on the DP World Tour.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to be an American to win the Race to Dubai,” said Reed.
“This little run I’ve had – two wins and a second – it’s awesome. We couldn’t ask anything more than what we did.
“It’s special to come out here and get two wins early in the season, and hopefully there’s a lot more to come.”
However, McIlroy will have time to close the gap on his rival as he plans to play as many DP Wold Tour events as possible as he balances that with his PGA Tour commitments.
There is no love lost between McIlroy and Reed with the pair having several battles on the golf course over the last decade.
Reed overcame the five-time major winner in a classic Ryder Cup singles tie at Hazeltine in 2016 before he held him off again to win the 2018 Masters.
Rory got his own back on ‘Captain America’ when he won the 2023 Dubai Desert Classic on the same week that Reed had sued him. Earlier that week, McIlroy had blanked Reed on the practice range, prompting him to flick a LIV Golf tee in his direction.
McIlroy will have a huge job on his hands to overtake Reed in the Race to Dubai but it should be a challenge he relishes as he hunts that record-equaling eighth title.
“It [Montgomerie’s record] seems within touching distance now. I’d love to be the winningest European in terms of Order of Merits and season-long races. I’ve probably got a few more good years left in me and hopefully I can catch him and surpass him.”
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