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Graeme needs top-2 finish to win Race to Dubai, says McIlroy

DUBAI - Graeme McDowell needs to finish as the runner-up or winner of this week’s Dubai World Championship to win the Race to Dubai, according to his compatriot Rory McIlroy.

The Ulsterman trails Germany’s Martin Kaymer by around £249,000 and needs a strong finish to this year’s European Tour to overhaul his rival at the top of the money list.

And, with Kaymer expected to feature prominently at the Jumeirah Golf Estates, McIlroy has warned McDowell that only a top-two placing will be good enough to get the job done.

“It’s been the most competitive year for a while,” McIlroy said of this year’s Race to Dubai.

“It looks like, to win the Race to Dubai, you need to win a major and two or three other events.

“It’s been a very good year for Martin and Graeme. Martin is ($) 290 grand up on GMac at the minute, so GMac is going to have to do something very special, like Lee (Westwood) did last year.

“They are both coming in playing well and GMac has been on a good run of form. I cannot see Martin finishing outside the top 10 or top five though, so GMac is going to have to finish in the top two if he’s going to win. It will be very tight and a good finish to the season.”

Meanwhile, McIlroy has cast doubt over whether he’ll compete at the Players Championship at Sawgrass next year, with European Tour events taking precedence in his mind.

“I don’t like the golf course for a start,” McIlroy said when asked about his uncertainty over whether or not to participate.

“It’s a Pete Dye course and I find it very awkward off the tee. You’re hitting across fairways all the time and it creates angles. It’s just very visually demanding.

“That’s one of the reasons that I’m undecided whether to play it or not.

“If I’m going over there for two weeks, I would be looking forward more to Quail Hollow than I would the Players. But, that’s just my opinion.

“That’s not to say that the Players isn’t a great event. It’s very prestigious and it would be great to win it on day, but it just might not suit the schedule next year.”

He added: “I’m going to play Quail Hollow the week before and then there are big tournaments in Europe. You have the World Match Play next year at Finca, then you have the BMW PGA Championship straight afterwards and they are two big events in the Race to Dubai next year, so I need to play in the big events on my own continent.”