Rory McIlroy has won a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title after finishing second at the DP World Tour Championship.

Tyrell Hatton secured the tournament crown by five shots on Sunday, though McIlroy’s finish meant he edged out Eugenio Chacarra to claim the season prize.

Going into the final tournament of the season, Chacarra had a slender 533.93-point lead over the Masters champion.

However, McIlroy’s strong finish earned him a fifth successive Race to Dubai crown, matching Colin Montgomerie’s record of eight Order of Merit titles.

While speaking about the win afterwards, McIlroy got emotional over his father, Gerry, who has been recovering in hospital following surgery at the end of September.

The golfer said that his father has been through ‘a lot’ as he fought back tears in the post-round interview.

McIlroy explained: ‘He has been in the hospital for the last two months. He underwent a huge operation at the end of September, and he is recovering well, thankfully.

‘When I left to come here to the Middle East, I went up to Cleveland to see him before I went and he said to me, “Go win the Race to Dubai”, so this one is for him.’

The Down native went on to detail the feeling of matching Montgomerie’s record of eight titles.

He continued: ‘Winning eight Order of Merits was never really in my list of goals when I was growing up.

‘I remember Monty being obviously a stalwart of the European Tour, going to watch him at the World Match Play at Wentworth over the years and remember playing with him for the first time, so to pull up alongside him and to win any of these things, it means the world to me.

‘I am a very proud European, a proud European player. I am proud to be a part of the DP World Tour and I am very proud of myself right now.’

McIlroy added that he felt ‘a little nervous going to the last couple of holes’, though he ‘did what I needed to do’.