Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick set to go head-to-head at DP World Tour Championship

Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick will headline next month’s DP World Tour Championship as the pair each bid to become the first to win the season-ending event for a third time.

The major champions, sitting first and second in the 2022 DP World Tour Rankings, have been confirmed for the circuit’s finale, which runs at Jumeirah Golf Estates from November 17-20.

McIlroy, who won around the Earth Course in 2012 and 2015, has led the season-long standings since finishing runner-up at the Open at St Andrews in July.

Fitzpatrick, meanwhile, sits closest to his former Ryder Cup teammate, helped in large part by securing his first major title with the US Open in Brookline in June. Fitzpatrick won the DP World Tour Championship in 2016 and 2020, while he was runner-up last year to Collin Morikawa.

McIlroy, a four-time major champion, has enjoyed another impressive year on both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, claiming the FedEx Cup on the former and recording seven top-five finishes on the latter.

In a statement released on Monday, McIlroy, European No 1 in 2012, 2014 and 2015, said: “I’m really excited to return to the DP World Tour Championship, especially with a chance of winning the Harry Vardon Trophy for a fourth time.

“I have some great memories of playing golf in Dubai, from making my first cut on tour as an amateur, to winning my first DP World Tour title [2009 Dubai Desert Classic] and then finishing top of the rankings on three occasions.

Matt Fitzpatrick holds the championship trophy after winning the 2022 US Open at Brookline, Massachusetts, USA. Reuters

“To win both the DP World Tour Rankings and the FedEx Cup in the same season would be a great achievement and would cap what has been a memorable year on the