Rory McIlroy was close to tears after revealing a discussion he had with Seve Ballesteros’ widow.

McIlroy agonisingly lost out to Matt Fitzpatrick in a play-off at the DP World Tour Championship but confirmed top spot in the Race to Dubai standings for the seventh time.

That saw the Northern Irishman surpass Ballesteros' six Order of Merit titles while now sitting just one place behind Colin Montgomerie's record of eight.

McIlroy, who is staking a strong claim to be recognised as Europe’s greatest ever golfer, revealed that he fittingly spoke to the Spaniard’s wife Carmen prior to eclipsing his record on Sunday.

What did McIlroy and Carmen speak about?

He told Sky Sports: “It’s amazing. I had a conversation with his wife Carmen, before I went out to play today. She told me how proud

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