Rory McIlroy lost his chance to match Colin Montgomerie’s historical record by winning the $6 million 2026 Amgen Irish Open at Doonbeg, as Shane Lowry stole the spotlight with an impressive home-soil win while Patrick Reed finished as runner-up. But the World No. 2 has another chance to match Montgomerie’s record. He only needs to defeat Patrick Reed in the next event for that.

The latest DP World Tour rankings, posted on September 14 on X, show Patrick is No. 1 with 3,423.6 points from 17 events. McIlroy is second with 2,583.9 points from just nine starts. McIlroy has collected his points while playing much less golf. A strong result at the next event could help McIlroy close the gap on Reed.

McIlroy’s chance at the Irish Open comprised a mixed week of promise, mistakes, and a late fightback. Despite carding rounds of 69-69 to place himself at 2-under and within reach of the leaders, moving day changed everything for him. McIlroy made two double bogeys in his first six holes, including one after losing a ball, and struggled to recover as the wind made conditions even tougher. His 74 dropped him down the leaderboard and left his title hopes hanging by a thread. McIlroy saved his best for Sunday, but it wasn’t enough. He produced a 67 with seven birdies, finishing at 1-under par with a 279 total, tied for 41st, far from the title he had hoped to defend.

McIlroy’s next chance to close the gap comes at the BMW PGA Championship, which runs from September 17–20 at Wentworth Club. The event is one of the DP World Tour’s biggest Rolex Series tournaments and has a $9 million purse, with $1.53 million going to the winner.

Wentworth is also a course where McIlroy has enjoyed success. He won the BMW PGA Championship there in 2014. This year, he will face Reed again, along with a powerful field including many big names like Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Åberg, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Lowry, fresh off his Irish Open victory.

With a win, not only will McIlroy get the top spot in the Race to Dubai standings, he will also make history on the DP World Tour by matching Colin’s record of eight European Order of Merit/Race to Dubai titles.

McIlroy has seven Race to Dubai titles. He won his seventh in 2025, surpassing Seve Ballesteros.

McIlroy has already spoken about how much that record means to him after winning his seventh title: “It seems within touching distance now.”

He also explained that he wanted to become the most successful European in terms of Order of Merit and season-long race wins: “I’ve hopefully got a few more good years left in me, and hopefully I can catch him and surpass him.”

Meanwhile, Montgomerie told Sky Sports that he would be happy if McIlroy broke his record: “If there was one to do that and ever break my record, I would rather it be him.”

McIlroy does not need to overtake Reed immediately at Wentworth to remain in the race. There are still several big Rolex Series events left before the season-ending DP World Tour Championship. That gives him time to reduce the 839-point gap.

However, every tournament will become more important as the season moves closer to its finish.