An emotional Rory McIlroy put a year of near misses and personal troubles behind him to win the DP World Tour Championship and his sixth Race to Dubai with a gritty final performance in Dubai.
The Co Down man went into the final round tied for the lead with Antoine Rozner and Rasmus Hojgaard on 12-under and while he looked to be cruising to victory after he followed a bogey at the first with four birdies in a row from the second to surge two clear, he stalled mid-round before getting the job done down the stretch
“I’ve been through a lot this year, professionally, personally and it feels like the fitting end to 2024,” McIlroy told Sky Sports after he birdied the 16th and 18th to win by two shots from Hojgaard on 15 under and match Seve Ballesteros with six Harry Vardon Trophy wins as his Holywood clubmate Tom McKibbin claimed his PGA TOUR card with his tenth top-10 of the season.
“I’ve persevered this year; I’ve had a lot of close calls, wasn’t able to get it done. So to be able to get over the line, I got off to a great start, and then I didn’t have my best around the middle of the round.
“I think Rasmus and I both sort of struggled to get any momentum, but I thought saving par on 15 was huge. And then I made four great swings coming in the wedge on 16, the shot into 17, and then the two shots in the last so really pleased with the way I finished. And, you know, thankfully, I hung on on a tough day and got the job done.”
McIlroy thanked wife Erica for “sticking by me” after admitting that 2024 had been one of the toughest years in his career. Despite winning four titles, the Northern Irishman dealt with professional and personal challenges, his near miss at the US Open in June taking a severe emotional toll.
A month prior, he had filed for divorce from Erica, though he soon reconciled with his wife of seven years.
And after victory in the UAE, McIlroy paid tribute to the support of his family during the tough times.
“Erica, Poppy [his daughter], I know you are here somewhere,” McIlroy said in the immediate aftermath of his win. “I love you and thanks for sticking by me.
“I’ve been through a lot this year professionally and personally. It feels like the fitting end to 2024. I have persevered this year a lot. Had close calls, wasn’t able to get it done. But, you know, I’m super happy with where I am in my career and in my life, and I feel like everything’s worked out the way it was supposed to.”
In Dubai, after dropping shots at the ninth and 13th to find himself tied with his Amgen Irish Open nemesis Hojgaard on 13-under, he failed to birdie the par-five 14th with an iron in hand but saved a crucial par from 15 feet at the 15th, then hit a wedge stone dead at the 16th (the sixth wedge shot from the 100-144 yard range he hit inside four feet this week) to regain the lead.
He then ripped a mid iron to eight feet at the 17th, heaping the pressure on Hojgaard, who missed the green.
The Dane did not give up easily, however, making a 22 footer for par after a weak chip before McIlroy failed to convert his birdie putt.
Still leading by just one stroke playing the last, McIlroy hit a low ‘stinger’ drive and after Hojgaard missed the green long, found the light rough right of the green.
The Dane chipped to 19 feet but after McIlroy putted down to seven feet, he watched his putt miss on the high side.
McIlroy duly rolled in his birdie putt for birdie, a 69, his third DP World Tour Championship trophy and his sixth Race to Dubai title.
He was emotional as he matched Ballesteros with six Race to Dubai titles after a year that saw him blow the US Open with three bogeys in his last four holes and file for divorce from his wife Erica Stoll before they reconciled later in the summer.
Holding back tears, he said: “It’s really cool. I think everyone knows what Seve means to European golf, to Ryder Cup players.
“You know, in the European Ryder Cup locker room, all we have are quotes of Seve. We have a changing room with Seve’s shirt from ’95, the last Ryder Cup he played.
“He means so much to European golf, and for me to be mentioned in the same breath, I’m very proud.”
He’s now set his sights on catching Colin Montgomerie, who won the Order of Merit an incredible eight times.
“I’ve just won my third in a row, and I’ve really made it a priority of my schedule over the last few years to give myself the best chance coming into the end of the year to win the Race to Dubai, and I don’t see that being any different for the foreseeable future,’ he said.
“So you know, going to go for my seventh next year and try to chase Monty down.”
Looking forward to celebrating, he added: “It’s been a long year. It’s my 27th tournament, which is a lot for me. Looking forward to a little bit of down time. I’ve got a lot of friends and my family here in Dubai, so I’m sure we’ll have a good night tonight.”
It was also a great week for Shane Lowry, who went into the final round five shots behind the trio of leaders but closed with a four under 68, chipping in from an awkward place on the 17th green for a two before getting up and down from 139 yards for a closing birdie four to tie for third with Rozner on 11-under
It turned out to be four shots too many in the end but after a year when he won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with McIlroy in April, it was an ultra consistent campaign for the Offaly man, who completed his campaign with eight successive top 13 finishes.
Lowry is backing McIlroy to come out firing in 2025 after watching the Holywood star wrap up his sixth Race to Dubai.
“Unfortunately for Rory, I think everybody looks at the glass half-empty,” said Lowry.
“I look at it glass half-full.
“He’s had an amazingly consistent year. I’ve had a consistent year, but he’s had consistent top three finishes. Mine are Top 15s.
“After today, it will be four wins around the world. Obviously, he gives himself chances and he probably should have won the US Open, let’s be honest, and he’d say that himself, but he didn’t.
“I think he is more determined than ever to come out firing next year, and obviously the Masters will be on the forefront as my mind and same as myself, he’ll be looking towards the other big tournaments and The Ryder Cup.
“The career he’s had so far is incredible. He has not dropped outside of the Top 50 in the World Rankings in the last 15 years or something. It’s an absolute joke.
“He’s putting himself up there with the greats of European golf, not that he already wasn’t and I’m sure he’s got Monty’s records in his sights as well.”
As for his own season, Lowry ended 2024 with a team win with McIlroy in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans as well as seven top 10s and 15 top 20s worldwide from 27 starts.
“I’m happy,” he said after his closing 68. “Look, I played really good golf over the last while, and last week, I bogeyed the last two to finish 12th or 13th or whatever it is and come off feeling sour about the whole week.
“It’s nice it do that. It’s nice to finish like that, especially going into a break now. There’s a lot there at stake. A lot of valuable Ryder Cup points for myself and I get a few World Ranking points for it, as well.
“I feel like I’m leaving the golf course here in Dubai in a better position than I was this time last year, so pretty happy with myself. I think when I reflect on the season, I’m going to be pretty happy with that, too.
“I feel like I would like to have won, and feel like I could have with the golf I’ve played but I showed this year that I still have a lot of go golf in me.”
He’s now looking forward to 2025 when he returns to the scene of his 2019 Major win for the Open at Royal Portrush as well as clinching his third Ryder Cup cap.
“It’s going to be great going back to Portrush,” he said. “Obviously very fond memories and it will be a different week than it was the last time.
“I think there will be obviously a lot for me to do, and I’ll have to manage myself pretty good. I think it will be a little more difficult to come in under the radar than last time. I have huge things ahead.
“First and foremost we look to April and the Masters and look at the other majors after that, and forefront of my mind is Ryder Cup next year. I really want to be part of that side and I want to be part of a winning side. So I’ll do everything I can over the next nine months to do that and hopefully get the job done.”
The majors, he admitted, remain his priority,
”Yeah, it’s the golf I love and the tournaments I get out of bed for in the morning, and the reason I practise is those big tournaments,” said Lowry, who was tied sixth in the US PGA (where he shot 62 in the third round) and sixth in The Open.
“I feel like I gave a good account of myself in the majors this year and the big events. All going the right direction, and hopefully the future is bright.”
As for Tom McKibbin, who was bidding for one of ten PGA TOUR cards, the Newtownabbey native (21) got the job done with a gutsy birdie at the 18th,
He was tied for seventh overnight, four shots behind the leaders, and projected ninth in the battle for those 10 PGA Tour cards.
He started with six straight pars but he could never quite get the momentum he needed to ease the pressure.
After a birdie at the seventh, he overshot the eighth and made bogey, then followed a birdie at the 14th with back to back bogeys at the 15th and 16th to find himself 11th in the standings, just 3.0 Race to Dubai points behind Jordan Smith,
He needed a birdie at the last to move back into 10th and after hitting a 232-yard fairway wood to 30 feet at the 18th, he calmly two putted for birdie and a 72 that left him tied for 11th and secured his PGA TOUR card by just 10.5 Race to Dubai points