A look at the key storylines from the final event of the DP World Tour season.
Dubai hat-trick for Fitzpatrick
Matt Fitzpatrick secured his third DP World Tour Championship title in style as he beat Rory McIlroy in a play-off to finish the 2025 season on a massive high.
The Englishman started the day one shot off the lead but made three birdies in the first five holes to stay in the hunt before finishing with a flourish to sign for a bogey-free 66 and set the clubhouse target at 18 under par.
In a dramatic finish, World Number Two McIlroy got the eagle he needed at the last to force a play-off, only to find the penalty area with his tee-shot at the first extra hole.
And Fitzpatrick took full advantage, getting up and down for par to see off his Ryder Cup team-mate, win a second Rolex Series title and add a third DP World Tour Championship crown to the ones he won in 2016 and 2020.
Dubai residents Tommy Fleetwood and Laurie Canter finished alongside Ludvig Åberg and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen in a tie for third on 17 under.
Fitzpatrick endured a difficult start to the year before following up a top-ten finish at the US PGA Championship with back-to-back fourth places at the Genesis Scottish Open and The 153rd Open.
His fine form continued as he finished inside the top six at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo, Omega European Masters and BMW PGA Championship before helping Europe to an historic away Ryder Cup triumph at Bethpage Black.
Fitzpatrick said: "It means the world. I struggled at the start of this year, obviously, and to turn it around in the summer like I did and have a Ryder Cup like I did...the Ryder Cup in particular, I feel like it's hard to top given everything.
"But the way that I played today, I feel like I really didn't hit one bad shot all day. I'm so proud of myself, the effort that everyone puts in behind the scenes. Yeah, what a feeling. What a feeling."
Seventh heaven for McIlroy
McIlroy set his sights on surpassing Colin Montgomerie's record of eight after capping a sensational 2025 season by winning a seventh Race to Dubai title.
McIlroy has enjoyed a remarkable year, achieving the career Grand Slam with a memorable Masters win, tasting victory at the Amgen Irish Open and playing a key role in Europe's historic away Ryder Cup triumph at Bethpage Black.
A fourth successive Harry Vardon Trophy moves him above Seve Ballesteros' tally of six wins and to within one of Montgomerie's eight.
He said: "It seems within touching distance now. I was the first European to win the Grand Slam and I'd love to be the most successful European in terms of winning Order of Merits and season-long races.
"I've hopefully got a few more good years left in me, and hopefully I can catch (Montgomerie) and surpass him."
McIlroy felt it was special to overtake European great Ballesteros, saying: "It's amazing. I had a conversation with his wife, Carmen, before I went out to play today and she told me how proud he would have been.
"I said this on this green last year, he means so much to this Tour and to the European Ryder Cup Team. We rally so much around his spirit and his quotes and everything he meant for European golf.
"To equal him last year was cool but to surpass him this year, yeah, I didn't get this far in my dreams, so it's very cool."
Penge leads ten players who earn dual membership with PGA TOUR
Marco Penge described 2025 as "the year of my life" after securing dual membership on the PGA TOUR by finishing second on the Race to Dubai Rankings.
Englishman Penge, who only earned his playing rights for this season with a birdie at the 36th hole of the Genesis Championship in South Korea last October, entered the winner's circle three times during a memorable campaign.
After winning the Hainan Classic in April, he tasted victory at the Danish Golf Championship over the summer before becoming a three-time winner at last month's Open de España presented by Madrid.
He went into the DP World Tour Play-Offs with a chance of winning the Race to Dubai but could not overtake McIlroy at the top of the standings as he finished the DP World Tour Championship in a tie for 22nd.
There is still plenty to celebrate for Penge, though, who has much to look forward to next year on both sides of the pond.
As part of the Strategic Alliance between the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR, the top ten players on the final Race to Dubai Rankings, not otherwise exempt, earned PGA TOUR membership for 2026.
Penge, as the player who finished first on that list, has qualified for THE PLAYERS Championship and two early Signature Events in the 2026 season, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational.
He said: "It's been the year of my life. To have won three times and to be in contention as much as I have done, my game has improved so much, and I feel very proud of myself and everyone involved for helping me get to where I am today."
The other players to claim PGA TOUR cards are Laurie Canter, Kristoffer Reitan, Adrien Saddier, Alex Noren, John Parry, Haotong Li, Keita Nakajima, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Jordan Smith.
Noren walks one in
There's swagger and then there's swagger. Alex Noren looked every inch a recent two-time winner on day three.
Neergaard-Petersen's SLAM DUNK birdie
Put me down for a four.
