Rory McIlroy’s emotional response to making Race to Dubai history in front of family
Rory McIlroy, his wife Erica Stoll, and their daughter Poppy were all smiles on Sunday as the Northern Irishman clinched his seventh Race to Dubai title, surpassing Seve Ballesteros.
Despite losing the DP World Tour Championship to Ryder Cup teammate Matt Fitzpatrick in a playoff at Jumeriah Golf Estates’ Earth Course, the 36 year old was still beaming at the end of the day when it was confirmed he had won his seventh Race to Dubai title, moving past Ballesteros’ six.
He now trails only Colin Montgomerie, who holds the record with eight wins in the European Tour’s season-long race. After securing his seventh title, McIlroy, Stoll, and Poppy knelt down with the trophy, each holding up seven fingers to signify his achievement.
Even though he was grinning from ear to ear, the Northern Irishman showed a lot of emotion immediately after his victory, despite just having lost to Fitzpatrick.
“It’s amazing. I had a conversation with Carmen [Ballesteros’ former wife] before I went out to play and she told me how proud he would have been,” McIlroy shared with Sky Sports, reports the Mirror US.
“He means so much to this Tour and the European Ryder Cup team. We rally so much around his spirit, his quotes and everything he meant for European golf.
