DP World Tour Championship 2015: Final Leaderboard Scores, Prize Money Payouts

Rory McIlroy won his third Race to Dubai crown in four years on Sunday after blazing to victory in the DP World Tour Championship thanks to a six-under par performance, clinching a one-shot victory at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

The Northern Irishman shot a Day 4 score of 66 to finish ahead of runner-up Andy Sullivan and eight shots in front of Danny Willett overall, his closest competitor for the Race of Dubai title.

It was the second day in succession McIlroy was among the best scorers, saving his best for last to clinch a first-place prize fund of $1.33 million in Dubai, according to the official European Tour website.

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#breaking@McIlroyRory wins DP World Tour Championship in Dubai and with it he also claims the Race to Dubai. pic.twitter.com/6wFY8FpIsi

— PA Sport (@pasport) November 22, 2015

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Read on for a full recap of Sunday's climactic closing round at the DP World Tour Championship, where McIlroy capped off a triumphant 2015 by sealing another Race to Dubai title. Here's how the leaderboard looked at the end of Sunday's action:

Position	Player	Sunday Score	To Par
1	Rory McIlroy	-6	-21
2	Andy Sullivan	-4	-20
3	Branden Grace	-5	-15
T4	Francesco Molinari	-4	-13
T4	Charl Schwartzel	-3	-13
T4	Matthew Fitzpatrick	-2	-13
T4	Danny Willett	-2	-13
T4	Emiliano Grillo	-1	-13
T4	Byeong Hun An	-1	-13
T10	Martin Kaymer	-4	-12

Recap

Stealing some momentum from a terrific Saturday performance, McIlroy carried on steamrolling his way through the field on Day 4. His driving paved the way to triumph, and not for the first time in his career.

The 26-year-old survived a late scare at Jumeirah Golf Estates to card a victorious score of 66, beating Sullivan by a single shot to become the first player to successfully defend the Race to Dubai crown since Ernie Els in 2004.

McIlroy came into the final day trailing Sullivan by one shot, and his pursuit of the leader started off somewhat disappointingly after seeing the latter birdie four of his opening six holes on Sunday.

But that would prove to be about as bright as things got for Sullivan, who was battling to suppress one of the most dominant drivers of the ball in Europe, per the official European Tour Twitter account:

McIlroy himself managed to birdie four of the opening nine holes, including three successive birdies from the fifth through to the seventh, but it was Sunday's home stretch that produced his very best.

While Sullivan mustered just a single birdie on the back nine, his rival managed four between the 11th and 15th, including a terrific putt on the 12th that initially drew him level, per Joe.ie:

McIlroy led by two shots heading into the 17th, and despite firing a wayward shot into the water, he rescued his performance with a staggeringly good bogey putt to stay one shot ahead of Sullivan.

The 18th saw McIlroy cap off his display with a solid finish as reporter Paul Higham pointed out how successful the three-time Race to Dubai champion has been at Jumeirah Golf Estates:

Sullivan carded a four-under par score of 68 for the second day in succession, ultimately failing to maintain the pace that saw him finish six under on each of the two opening days.

South Africans Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel finished third and tied for fourth, respectively, and the former made a late surge up the standings thanks to his Day 4 round of 67, while Willett's two under wasn't enough to challenge McIlroy in the end.

The Northern Irishman can look back on a triumphant 2015 with some glee, and the aim now is to once again retain the Race to Dubai crown, which would be a recognition of his ability as one of the world's most consistent performers.

The last player to clinch the end-of-season title three times in a row or more was Colin Montgomerie, who won seven successive Order of Merit championships between 1993 and 1999, an accolade McIlroy is still some way off beating.