Rory McIlroy  is hoping to turn around his frustrating season, by winning at least one event in the three he is playing during the Final Series of the European Tour, as well as claiming a third Race to Dubai title.
The 26-year-old Northern Irishman returns to the European Tour this week at the Turkish Airlines Open, and will play the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai and the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai after this.
McIlroy is currently leading the Race to Dubai with earnings of 3,011,999 euros, but is yet to win a tournament since making his comeback from the ankle injury that kept him out of the Open Championship and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, both tournaments where he was the defending champion, as well as the Scottish Open before that.
And McIlroy, who had won the WGC-Cadillac Match Play and Well Fargo Championship in May, said in a press conference yesterday: “Obviously, I’d like to win the Race to Dubai. I’d like to win at least one of these last three events that I’m playing. That would make me feel better about the end of the year.
“From when I injured my ankle, if I was to go from then to the end of the season without another win, especially with how I was playing up until that point, it would be very disappointing.
“So, I’ve got three opportunities coming up to try and get a win or two on the board and end this year on a positive. At least that would help me go into next year with a bit of momentum. And yeah, it would mean an awful lot to me to win the Race to Dubai for the third time. It would be a great achievement and that’s obviously what I’m trying to do the next few weeks.”
This is the first time McIlroy is taking part in the Turkish Airlines Open, which also announced an extension of three years with the European Tour and will remain a part of the lucrative Final Series events.
Brooks Koepka was the champion last year, but the American has decided not to defend his title after giving up on his European Tour membership to concentrate on the PGA Tour.
The field of 78 players also includes England’s Danny Willett, who is second in the Race to Dubai behind McIlroy.
A winner twice this season, Willett, who is 271,214 euros behind McIlroy, said: “I’m coming into the final four events with a chance to do something not many guys get to do.
“There’s only one Order of Merit winner each year. To have a chance is great.”

Bryan Moore takes aim at a rare three-peat in Malaysia this week
Ryan Moore takes aim at a rare “three-peat” when he defends his CIMB Classic title in Malaysia this week against a high-class field including Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott.
Moore’s unorthodox “inside-out” swing has carried him to victory at the narrow and steamy Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club course the past two years, but he said the secret to his winning-streak in Malaysia remained a mystery.
“It’s hard to figure out why I’ve had the success that I have in this tournament or on this course particularly, but obviously, I hope it continues,” he said yesterday on the eve of the tournament which is co-sanctioned by the US PGA and Asian Tours.
The last person before Moore to defend a PGA Tour event was Tiger Woods, who successfully retained his Arnold Palmer Invitational title in 2013.
Moore said he hadn’t given the “three-peat” much thought. “I won the last two years, so I don’t have that much to prove, necessarily. But you always go into tournaments wanting to win, wanting to play well, and that doesn’t change,”
Also returning is Gary Woodland, who was runner-up to his fellow American the past two years, sharing second with Garcia and Kevin Na last year and losing a playoff in 2013.
It is the third event of the PGA Tour’s wrap-around 2016 schedule, and world number seven Stenson said the $7 million tournament was a chance to get off to fast start early in the season with a first prize of $1.26 million and 500 FedEx Cup points.
“Next year is going to be a busy year with the Olympics and Ryder Cup and everything else, so this gives me the opportunity to add one more tournament before Christmas,” said the Swede, who recently finished second to double 2015 Major winner Jordan Spieth in the FedExCup.
India’s Anirban Lahiri could wrap up the 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit with a win in Kuala Lumpur, but he has a double incentive with it being his first event as a rookie full member of the US PGA Tour. “This is a very important week for me in many different ways,” said the 28-year-old Lahiri, who won at the same course to take the Malaysian Open title earlier this year, and is coming off recent top-10 finishes in Macau and Hong Kong.
World No. 11 Garcia is seeking his first PGA Tour win since 2012. Besides Australia’s Scott, other former Major winners include Ernie Els and Keegan Bradley.