‘Rory deserves to be champion’

Jamie Donaldson, Sergio Garcia and Marcel Siem will have to achieve something only Rory McIlroy himself has done this season to deny the world number one a second Race to Dubai title in three years.

McIlroy did not play in either of the first two Final Series events in China as he prepares for his court case with a former management company, and will again be absent from this week’s Turkish Airlines Open.

However, the 25-year-old’s four victories this season – including his third and fourth major titles in the Open and US PGA Championship – mean he still has an almost insurmountable lead at the top of the standings.