Rory McIlroy confessed that missing out on his fifth Major win still “stings” and the “ones that got away” this year are motivating him to close the gap on Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele at the top of the world rankings.
Holding a lead of 1,785 points over South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence, the Holywood star will claim his sixth Race to Dubai title and match Seve Ballesteros if he finishes in the top 10 in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
Considering he’s had ten top 10s in 13 appearances at Jumeriah Golf Estates, including two wins, he’s the red-hot favourite get the job done.
But when reflecting on 2024, he admitted that after making three bogeys in his last four holes to lose the US Open to Bryson DeChambeau and letting several other titles slip away, he could only give his season a “pass” grade.
“It wouldn’t be a pass with flying colours,” he admitted, though he was proud to be “incredibly consistent again” worldwide.
“I’ve been really proud of that over the last few years, but then at the same time, thinking about the ones that got a way,” McIlroy said.
“I could be sitting up here with a fifth Major title and I am not. So that stings and that’s something that I have to come to terms with, but at the same time, I’ve got plenty more opportunities in the future.
“But I really just tried to focus on the positives this year of consistently performing at the highest level. Still having three wins with an opportunity to get a fourth here this week, to win another Race to Dubai title.
“Did I achieve every goal I set for myself this year? Probably not. But I still consider it a successful season.
“You’ve got two guys at the top of the World Rankings down there winning three Majors. Scottie winning a Masters and a Players and the Olympics.
“They certainly separated themselves from the pack this year. I’m obviously very aware of that and it only makes me more motivated to try to emulate what they did this year.”
McIlroy won once on the DP World Tour when he claimed the Dubai Desert Classic in January.
But he has also had four runner up finishes, including the US Open, the Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down and the BMW PGA.
Winning a sixth Harry Vardon Trophy and matching his father’s golfing hero, Seve, still means a lot to him.
“I guess I am a little too young to remember a lot of Seve’s career and things that he did,” he said.
“Seve is almost like, not a mythical character to me, but was just a little bit before my time.
“But he was my dad’s favourite player. The immense impact he had on European golf from a Ryder Cup and from what he did for The European Tour, he means a lot to the overall game of golf but specifically in this part of the world and on this Tour.
“I think just the style of golf that Seve played is what he was drawn to. So that swashbuckling, you know, almost Houdini-like act of hitting into trouble and getting out of trouble.
“I think a lot of people were drawn to Seve. He was an entertainer. He played the game with a certain flair and style, and a little bit like Arnold Palmer before him in the States.
“Seve is to European golf is what Arnold Palmer was to golf in America, and I think that’s what a lot of people gravitated towards.
“So to draw level with him and to have a career that can sort of somewhat stack up against his is very cool.”
If he’s to win his sixth Race to Dubai, he can’t afford a repeat of last year, when he finished 22nd behind Nicolai Hojgaard in the season-ending event.
“I guess my goal this week is not to have anyone with me on the 18th green; try to win both titles,” he said.
“Coming here last year, I already had [The Race to Dubai] it wrapped up which was obviously really nice but maybe I lacked a bit of motivation in the tournament because of that.
“So knowing that I still have to go out and play pretty well depending on what Thriston does, that gives me a little bit extra motivation to keep a bit more focused this week.”