While he didn't leave Dubai with any hardware, at least Rory McIlroy closed out his year in style at the DP World Tour Championship.
McIlroy finally got things going at Jumeirah Golf Estates, shooting a front-nine 30 en route to a closing 65 that left him in a tie for ninth, five shots behind Matthew Fitzpatrick.
"Wasn't meant to be," McIlroy told reporters. "Didn't quite keep that momentum going into the back nine, but still a good 65 to finish. Played nicely and looking forward to a few weeks off."
McIlroy had only a slim chance to win the season-long Race to Dubai title after skipping each of the first two Final Series events, but those hopes went out the window when the Ulsterman surprisingly opened with a 75 for his first over-par score on the Earth Course in 29 tries.