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

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,

Rory McIlroy's charge at the Abu Dhabi Championship faltered when he found water off his drive and made double bogey on the last hole on Saturday, leaving him five shots off the lead held by Paul Waring heading into the final round.