The wildest of circumstances would prevent Rory McIlroy from winning a sixth Order of Merit at next week’s DP World Tour Championship.

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, former Open champion Shane Lowry and Ryder Cup stars Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and Thorbjorn Olesen were among those to turn up the heat on Waring during a thrilling final round.

The nearly man has to wait a little longer, but for the journeyman everything has changed in an instant. While Rory McIlroy’s tie for third here at the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship on Sunday was not quite enough to wrap up the Race to Dubai a week early,