Despite a year of near misses, McIlroy heads into the DP World Tour's finale with one hand on the season-long crown

Rory McIlroy saw the funny side after his epic trick shot fail on the range nearly wiped out a fellow competitor ahead of this week's DP World Tour Championship. McIlroy, 35, holds a commanding lead atop the DP World Tour Rankings ahead of this week's season finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.

The 35-year-old has a 1,785 points lead over South African Thriston Lawrence in the season-long race ahead of the Dubai finale

McIlroy holds a big lead at the top of the rankings but could still be overtaken by one man at the DP World Tour Championship.

The consensus here in Dubai is that Thriston Lawrence should be thanked for having the chutzpah to hole that 35-footer for birdie on the 18th on Sunday to keep the Order of Merit battle alive for this week’s DP World Tour season-ender.

Rory McIlroy holds a 1,785-point lead over Thriston Lawrence heading into DP World Tour Championship; McIlroy chasing a sixth Race to Dubai title, while Lawrence needs a victory to have chance of topping season-long standings;

Rory McIlroy bids to create more history this week in Dubai as the Race to Dubai concludes with the DP World Tour Championship. McIlroy, who enters this week with 4,997.66 points, is the front-runner to banish heartache from his near miss at the US Open and complete the season with a sixth Order of Merit title at the Earth Course,

The DP World Tour rolls into Dubai for its money-spinning finale. Here's a breakdown of the big cash prizes on offer.

Rory McIlroy has his sights firmly set on claiming his sixth Race to Dubai title at the DP World Tour Championship, and equalling the feat of the legendary Seve Ballesteros. The Northern Irishman holds a healthy 1,