Tommy Fleetwood led with four victories, Shane Lowry went undefeated and McIlroy delivered three and a half points
Rory McIlroy ventures into new territory by competing in the Indian tournament this week as he makes his comeback to competition for the initial occasion since the Ryder Cup.
As the Northern Irishman widens his competitive experience, the DP World Tour begins the final phase of this year's Race to Dubai. The world-class golfer is in the leading spot to secure the annual championship for the fourth season running and seventh occasion in total.
This includes only three more events following the Indian event; the following week's Genesis tournament in South Korea - which wraps up the second half of the tour calendar - and then the last two competitions in the Arabian region.
These particular big money 'play-off' events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are exclusively available for the leading seventy and then top 50 in the season rankings.
But for players such as Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry, who are also in this week's field in India, there is reduced stress than you might imagine.
Comfortably below the seventieth position, at initial inspection it would appear both require high finishes from their trip to the Indian course to extend their seasons. But, in fact, they are already assured of their places in the UAE and Dubai.
This results from a little publicised but pragmatic exception whereby participants of Europe's Ryder Cup team are also deemed eligible for next month's closing tournaments.
Fleetwood, who won the PGA Tour's play-offs with his impressive victory at the season-ending event in Atlanta, sits 94th in the European tour's annual rankings. The Irish champion, who made the winning stroke that retained the Ryder Cup, is 155th.
Additional squad members who can potentially benefit are Aberg (seventy-second) and Sepp Straka (one hundred forty-seventh).
This might question the fairness of a playoff structure, which by nature is supposed to bring intense high-stakes drama, but this scenario also illustrates realities faced by the headquartered DP World Tour.
The tour is dependent on big backers such as the title partner, who are also the naming sponsors of this current tournament in the Asian nation. The tour requires the top players at their premier tournaments to justify the investment, which runs to millions of dollars.
The talented golfer has enjoyed one of his most successful seasons, capped by his first win on American soil at the Atlanta course just under eight weeks past.
He is one of the continent's elite players and, frankly, it would be inconceivable to host the 2025 season finale without him.
Common sense trumps competitive integrity, even though the world number five - a Dubai resident - has saved his strongest showings for events that do not count on his domestic circuit.
Fleetwood has so far played only four DP World Tour events and failed to place in the top 20 at any tournament; the Middle Eastern event, UK tournament, flagship event or Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Major championships also contribute on the Race to Dubai and his share of 16th at the British Open was his sole high finish in the big four tournaments. However on the American-based circuit he achieved seven top-five finishes.
The European star was also Europe's top points scorer at the New York course last month. It seems absurd for him not to be participating with the tour's leading stars at the end of the season.
Although in the previous era the PGA and European tours were deadly rivals they are now inextricably linked thanks to the strategic alliance that underpins DP World Tour prize funds.
While Marco Penge, last week's winner of the Spanish Open, has positioned himself in close pursuit as his closest rival at the top of the Race to Dubai, much of the interest for the rest of the season will have an US focus.
The storyline will be driven by the competition for 10 places on the PGA Tour for those who do not already have tour cards in the US. The rising star, with three DPWT wins, is assured of what is widely regarded as 'promotion' to the US circuit.
The Clitheroe-based pro, who also guaranteed invitations to the Augusta National and Open with his Spanish success, is not in the tournament lineup but will mount a final push to try to overtake McIlroy at the peak of the standings.
And Dan Brown, the man the champion beat in the Madrid play-off, is one of four other Britons in the thick of the competition for a 2026 PGA card.
Yorkshireman Parry and the Bath duo of Jordan Smith and Laurie Canter also presently hold positions that would yield a valuable opportunity for the coming season.
Some observers see this scenario as proof that the European circuit is now essentially a development tour for the larger circuit on the American continent.
But the organization maintain it is a vital mechanism that underpins their schedule, a necessary and attractive feature that maximises competitive chances for its members.
Undoubtedly this is the time of the year where the realities and necessary adjustments of elite golf competition seem at their most evident.
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