This was far from just McIlroy and Fitzpatrick duking it out for the title though as the tension built on the back nine and in the closing stages four players shared the lead, with the real possibility of a six-way play-off.

Neergaard-Petersen looked to have played himself out of contention with four bogeys outweighing three birdies in his opening 12 holes, but he picked up five shots in his closing five holes and was inches away from getting into the play-off, his 68 leaving him on 17 under.

English pair Tommy Fleetwood and Laurie Canter also finished on that number.

Five birdies on the back nine catapulted the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup champion Fleetwood into contention, while Canter’s 67 was built on a platform of four birdies in his opening seven holes.

Ludvig Aberg’s 66 matched Fitzpatrick as the lowest of the final round as he too reached 17 under, while his 45-year-old playing partner Justin Rose, who holds the course record of 62 at the Earth Course in Dubai, started strongly and was in contention midway through the round.

Rose, beaten by McIlroy in a play-off at the Masters, drained a 50-foot birdie putt on the sixth before almost holing his second on the par-five seventh as he improved to 15 under. Nine pars followed though before he finished bogey-double bogey.

Also needing to force the issue was Tyrrell Hatton, the only player who could realistically stop McIlroy from winning the Race to Dubai crown. Hatton needed a victory to stand any chance but two bogeys in his opening three holes set the tone for a scrambling level-par 72.

And Marco Penge, the Englishman who has had a breakthrough 2025 with three victories on the DP World Tour, finished off with his best round of the tournament. Penge also started the week with a chance of usurping McIlroy, but illness derailed his challenge.

A closing 67, for a nine under total, did, however, ensure he finished runner-up to McIlroy in the Race to Dubai standings. That also secured him one of 10 PGA Tour cards for next season as part of the strategic alliance between the European and American-based tours.

Fellow Englishmen Canter, John Parry and Jordan Smith have also attained membership, while Neergaard-Petersen’s strong finish also secured a spot.