Matt Fitzpatrick won his third DP World Tour Championship title on Sunday at the iconic Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Englishman beat rival Rory McIlroy in a play-off to clinch victory, in turn awarding the World No.2 his seventh Race To Dubai title. Following the win, the 2022 US Open champion dubbed his rival “one of the best players, if not the best player in the world.”Fitzpatrick finished the Dubai outing with a bogey-free 66. However, McIlroy forced a play-off, only to find the penalty area with his tee-shot at the first extra hole. His Ryder Cup team-mate took advantage and secured his third DP World Tour Championship crown, after wins in 2016 and 2020. Despite the win, the two-time Rolex Series title winner was appreciative of his rival who completed the career Grand Slam by winning the Masters in April.The 31-year-old champion lauded the Irishman reiterated the Northern Irishman’s ‘achievements’ in the game and dubbed it a ‘real privilege to call him a friend and be on the same Ryder Cup team.’Speaking about Rory McIlroy after his DP World Tour Championship win, Matt Fitzpatrick said, as quoted by ASAP Sports:“We were laughing, before the playoff… He kind of said congratulations and great end of the season for me. There’re just not many people in the game better than him, not just a golfer, but just as a person… He's achieved so much in the game. It would be very easy to have a very large head and basically just like himself very, very much, and he's the polar opposite, he really is…He cares so much about other people, this tour and the game of golf, and that shows in how he is each and every day… It's just a real privilege to call him a friend and be on a Ryder Cup Team with him and achieve those things together, and obviously play golf against him at this time in the world of golf where he is one of the best players, if not the best player in the world.”It is pertinent to note that Matt Fitzpatrick and Rory McIlroy contributed to Team Europe’s Ryder Cup victory at Bethpage Black in September, after playing together for years since 2016.Matt Fitzpatrick completes DP World Tour Championship hat-trickMatt Fitzpatrick clinched the DP World Tour Championship 2025 title despite having a difficult start to the season. The Englishman, who managed a top-ten finish at the US PGA Championship and back-to-back fourth places at the Genesis Scottish Open and The 153rd Open, posted an opening round of 69 on Thursday at Jumeirah Golf Estates.The 31-year-old followed it up with another 69 on Friday and a 66 on Saturday, which put him within one stroke of the lead. The Ryder Cupper opened his birdie account from five feet at the second on Sunday. He made two successive birdies at the 14th and 15th to slide back into competition on the final day. He completed his campaign with a par in the play-off to seal the DP World Tour win, his first since the 2023 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.Speaking about his win, Matt Fitzpatrick said, as quoted by ASAP Sports:“It means the world. I struggled at the start of this year, obviously, and to turn it around in the summer like I did and have a Ryder Cup like I did… the Ryder Cup in particular, I feel like it’s hard to top given everything… But the way that I played today, I feel like I really didn’t hit one bad shot all day. I’m so proud of myself… What a feeling.”Meanwhile, McIlroy's second-place finish at the DP World Tour Championship saw him clinch a seventh Harry Vardon Trophy. The Grand Slam winner has won the Race to Dubai title in each of the past four seasons. He sits one short of Colin Montgomerie's record eight titles. Matt Fitzpatrick further addressed his champion rival’s success ratio and revealed trying to ‘understand’ his mentality during the wins.