The Turkish Airlines Open takes place Nov. 3-6 in Antalya/Belek, with 78 players battling for $7 million in prizes. It is another thrilling subplot in what is sure to be a fascinating week at the Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort in Antalya/Belek, one of the world's premium golf destinations. The Turkish Airlines Open is the first of three tournaments in the Final Series to the Race to Dubai.Rory McIlroy pulled out of the Turkish Airlines Open, leaving him a long shot to capture the Race to Dubai on the European Tour.McIlroy is No. 3 in the standings, trailing by a wide margin Masters champion Danny Willett and British Open champion Henrik Stenson. McIlroy closed with a 66 at the HSBC Champions, well behind Hideki Matsuyama and one shot behind Stenson. Willett finished at the bottom of the pack. Willett and Stenson are playing in Turkey.Willett is seeking to secure the "Race to Dubai" European order of merit crown ahead but fell behind new standings leader Stenson after the Swede finished second on Sunday.McIlroy remains third in the standings but has only one event remaining, the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in three weeks time. He needs both players to finish well down the fields in their respective remaining tournaments and will almost certainly also need to win in Dubai to have a chance of retaining his European Tour crown for the third consecutive year and fourth time in five years."Those boys (Willett and Stenson) can battle it out. I think over the course of the season, they have had big wins and played well. They are two major champions, so I'm OK with that," he added."The fact that I've won the FedEx Cup this year and that I've won the Race to Dubai before made the decision a little bit easier."Elsewhere, dominant Hideki Matsuyama made history yesterday when he became the first player from Asia to win a World Golf Championships, according to AFP. The 24-year-old from Japan left a world-class field, including Rory McIlroy and all four 2016 major winners, trailing in his wake as he finished seven strokes clear at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai. The 24-year-old Japanese player also became the first from the continent to win "Asia's Major" and he did it in style with a flawless final round of six-under par 66.Matsuyama was just one shot shy of the record 72-hole score at Sheshan International Golf Club of 24-under par set by current US Open champion Dustin Johnson three years ago. Matsuyama finished at 23-under par after four stunning rounds of 66, 65, 68 and 66 at the par-72 layout. British Open champions Henrik Stenson and Daniel Berger of the U.S. were tied for second way back at 16-under par.McIlroy yesterday carded his second 66 of the week for yet another top-five finish as he shared fourth place on 15-under par with Bill Haas. Matsuyama, whose total of 29 birdies for the week was just three short of the all-time US PGA Tour record of 32, remarkably did not card a bogey after the ninth hole of his second round on Friday. The in-form player is set to rise to as high as number six in the world following his victory for which he wins $1.62 million. It caps a remarkable run in which Matsuyama has won the Japan Open, finished runner-up in the PGA Tour's CIMB Classic in Malaysia and won the WGC-HSBC Champions in consecutive weeks."I was really nervous at the start of the day, but I was able to birdie hole number one," said Matsuyama."That kind of got myself into the rhythm of the day, and after that, it was smooth sailing."