In a mere three years, McIlroy goes from his couch to verge of history

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Just three years ago, Rory McIlroy was sitting at home watching golf on television and thinking, "I'd love to be able to do that one day."

Now, in what seems like no time at all, he is the one being watched. And on Sunday could be crowned Europe's new champion, at 20 the youngest since Seve Ballesteros in 1976.

And there is more. The Northern Ireland star could also become the world No. 6 and more than $2.7 million richer.

"I'm sort of just living out my dream and I couldn't be happier," said McIlroy on the eve of the inaugural Dubai World Championship, where the first prize of $1.25 million would also earn him an Order of Merit bonus of $1.5 million.

"To be sitting here now 13th in the world, leading the Race to Dubai, I'm just really enjoying it," he said. "This is what I've always wanted to do.

If I can play the rest of my career happy and realizing how lucky I am to be playing a great game like this for a living, then I think I'll be doing okay."

Taking the tournament title is obviously the dream way of clinching the money list title, but because of his consistency this season McIlroy could even stay top of the table by finishing 58th out of 58 this weekend.

Lee Westwood is $190,000 behind McIlroy and cannot afford to finish worse than seventh if he is to recapture the Order of Merit crown he won in 2000.

German Martin Kaymer is a further $117,000 back and will miss out if he does not make the top four, while Ross Fisher, the only other player left in the race, has a $652,000 deficit and has to finish first or second.

What makes it most exciting is that the cash on offer is so huge -- even with the 25 percent cut because of the economic downturn in the region -- that McIlroy, Westwood and Kaymer all know that victory on the Greg Norman-designed Earth Course will guarantee them top spot.

Norman himself was on site on Wednesday to see how things were developing on what is the second longest layout in European Tour history and on what, it has to be said, still bears some resemblance to a building site.

"What Rory has been doing over the last 12 months is phenomenal, to say the least," said Norman. "He looks like he's way experienced beyond his years and his future, you can almost say, is cast in stone in a lot of ways."

Norman was 27 when he topped the Order of Merit in 1982; Colin Montgomerie was 30 when he took it for the first of his record eight times; Ernie Els 34; Padraig Harrington 35 and last year Robert Karlsson was 39.

Just to underline what McIlroy is now on the cusp of achieving, Tony Jacklin never won the money list and Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia have never done it, either.

With not as much rough as many would like to have seen for such an important climax to the season, the main defenses of the course are the bunkers -- with special sand brought all the way to the desert from America, believe it or not -- water and undulating greens.

McIlroy, eager to add to what remains his one and only professional victory so far just a few miles away at the Dubai Desert Classic in February, predicts a winning score of "mid-teens, maybe 14 or 15 under par."

Volvo World Match Play champion Fisher, whose 29th birthday on Sunday could be really special, raised his eyebrows at that and commented: "I'd love mid-teens. I think if you can break 70 every day (four 69s would be 12 under) you'd had a pretty decent score."

Fisher has his family with him in a villa for the week, but four-month-old daughter Eve is sleeping in a different room.

McIlroy admits he would take particular delight in holding off the challenge of stablemate Westwood because the banter has been going back and forth for some time -- not just in person, but also online.

As for the future of a tournament over which there has been so much speculation, European Tour Chief Executive George O'Grady said he was "very confident" that it will be back at the same venue next year and with the same $7.5 million purse and $7.5 million bonus pool for the top 15.

The top 60 on the money list qualify but Paul Casey is injured -- he would have joined the battle for the top spot if fit -- and American Anthony Kim decided not to play.

The 58 who remain were supposed to be part of the richest event ever staged. The sponsors' financial concerns changed that, but one putt on Sunday could still be worth $2.6 million.

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