Despite not winning, the event has been ultra-lucrative for the 37-year-old, who was this year named as the richest person under the age of 40 in Northern Ireland

It has been described as a curse at the Abu Dhabi Championship where Rory McIlroy has finished in the top three 11 times, without ever claiming victory.

The back-to-back Masters champion is a perennial contender in the Middle East, but his victories have all come in neighbouring Dubai.

He has finished in third place seven times, including a solo third-place finish at the 2026 Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship on Sunday behind winner Jon Rahm.

McIlroy was hit with a two-shot penalty earlier in the week after appearing to improve his lie in the rough. He ended up four shots behind Rahm at the end of the week.

However, the event has been ultra-lucrative for the 37-year-old, who was this year named as the richest person under the age of 40 in Northern Ireland.

The Holywood man has earned more than €3.2 million at the Abu Dhabi Championship down the years.

This year, McIlroy took away £422,000 despite coming up well short of winner Rahm. He earned £361,000 in 2024, and upwards of £200k for a succession of other close calls at Yas Links.

In 15 career appearances at the event, he has finished in the top three an astonishing 11 times. He has finished as the standalone or tied runner-up four times - in 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015.

While Abu Dhabi remains his kryptonite, he has been dominant in the neighbouring emirate, racking up multiple victories down the road at the Dubai Desert Classic and the DP World Tour Championship.

While matching Rahm was a step too far on this occasion, McIlroy outperformed his prime Race to Dubai (Euro Tour Order of Merit) rivals Eugenio Chacarra and Patrick Reed.

He leapfrogged the American to take second place, and he halved Chacarra's lead ahead of next week's season finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

"The objective for these two weeks was to play well enough to try to win the race to Dubai. I feel like I've got a really good chance at that next week," said McIlroy.

The DP Tour season concludes at the Earth Course next weekend, where there is a $10 million purse, with $3 million going to the winner.

McIlroy is looking to take the Race to Dubai title for an eighth time, matching the record of Scottish legend Colin Montgomerie on the European Tour.