If Rory McIlroy shocked the sporting world tomorrow and announced his retirement, there would be no doubt that he would leave golf as one of the greatest players in European history.
The player has won four major championships, held a long-standing world No. 1 ranking and played a key role in Team Europe's multiple Ryder Cup successes, in addition to numerous appearances on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. Awarded the Medal of Honor.
McIlroy added the latest addition to an already illustrious golfing resume as he completed the Race to Dubai for the third consecutive year, tying Seve Ballesteros' tally of six Merit Awards on the DP World Tour. , and was just two points shy of Colin Montgomery's career record.
The Harry Vardon Cup caps off another stellar season for McIlroy, who has finished four runner-up places in addition to his four global titles, although failure to add to his major tally in 2024 means his achievements Sometimes it may not get the recognition it ultimately deserves.
“Unfortunately for Rory, I think everyone sees the glass as half empty,” Shane Lowry said after finishing tied for third at the DP World Tour Championship. “I look at it as half full. He's had an amazingly solid year.
“He's had an unbelievable career so far. He's never dropped out of the top 15 in the world in the last 15 years or something like that. It's an absolute joke. He puts himself right next to the greats of European golf. The juxtaposition of characters, not the great players he is no longer. “
Setting the bar higher for McIlroy?
McIlroy's 2024 results alone would be enough to represent a good career for most professional golfers, but he has finished in the top 10 in the world 14 times in 27 starts, and his consistency year after year still has many people looking forward to it. More.
“Rory’s standards are higher than anyone else in golf,” Tommy Fleetwood advised. “I thought he showed amazing golf again this year and he proved why he's one of the best golfers of all time. Rory's had a great year.
I think it's easy for everyone to imagine what would have happened if things had been a little different. But at the same time, you can only talk about those things if he consistently maintains a chance to win every week. “
McIlroy himself admitted that his year might not be viewed as a complete success, saying: “I know that my 2024 will be defined by the tournaments I win (at least by other people), and the tournaments I win Not many.
“I know how people are going to look at my year and I look at my year in a similar way, but at the same time, I still have to remember that I won four times. I accumulated a lot of great results and Excellent performance and two guys who had better years of their career than I did.
“Sander [Schauffele] won two major championships, Scottie [Scheffler] Won Players Championship, Masters and Olympic gold medals. They are the only two people I think are doing better than me this year. “
Dubai glory brings 'fitting end' to year's near misses
McIlroy lost the season-opening Dubai Invitational by one shot, bogeying the final hole when a par would have been enough to force a play-off with eventual champion Fleetwood, but rebounded a week later to Successfully defended his Hero Dubai Desert Classic title.
McIlroy's desire to complete a career Grand Slam every year failed to come true at the Masters, which extended the wait for the only major he missed, but he soon won back-to-back wins at the New Orleans Zurich Classic and the Zurich Classic PGA Tour Champion. Wells Fargo Championship.
McIlroy's biggest heartbreak and “toughest day as a golfer” came at the U.S. Open, where he let a two-shot lead slip in the final holes and lost by one shot to Brilliant DeChambeau, which took him a while before finishing tied for fourth a month later at the Genesis Scottish Open.
He competed for a medal at the Paris Olympics before finishing in the top five again and had a frustrating end to the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Playoffs before failing to win at the Amgen Irish Open. The home team took a four-shot lead and lost the victory to Rasmus Hoggard.
A week later, McIlroy finished with his third DP World Tour title after losing to Billy Horschel in a play-off at the BMW Championship and finishing third at the HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi. His fight with Dubai ended his losing streak. title.
“I've been through a lot this year, both professionally and personally,” McIlroy said. “it [DP World Tour Championship and Race to Dubai victory] It feels like 2024 is over. I persisted a lot this year. There was a critical moment when the mission failed to be completed.
“I think there was probably a lot of self-imposed pressure. I really wanted to get it done. I like to end the year on a positive note. I probably felt more pressure than I should have.
“It was nice to be able to handle it in a decent way. I probably didn't handle it exactly the way I wanted to, especially in the middle of the round, but the way I finished the round, I'm very happy with that.”
Will McIlroy continue to charge forward?
The 35-year-old has finished in the top two more times than he's missed the cut during his illustrious career, which spans some 18 seasons, and McIlroy is now focused on continuing his quest to become the most successful player in history European golfers.
“I've come this far, I might as well try to get to eight or nine [Race to Dubai titles],” McIlroy said. “If I'm going to pass Monty, I'm going to try to achieve something that no one else in the game has achieved. [Colin Montgomerie].
“I've got ten more years. Who knows what the golf world will look like in a few years. But as long as the Race to Dubai is still going on and there's the Order of Merit and we're on this tour, I want it.”
McIlroy has long described his maiden major finish at the 2014 PGA Championship as the “final piece of the puzzle”, having won three majors at Quail Hollow and in his native Northern Ireland. The Grand Slam was held at Royal Portrush. 2025 lineup.
“I think he [McIlroy] Lowry added that he is more determined than ever to attack next year. “Obviously the Masters will be at the forefront and, like me, he will be looking at the other big events and the Ryder Cup.”
Keep an eye on McIlroy's quest for a green jacket at Augusta National and completing the career Grand Slam, which can wait until April. Now, it's time to celebrate a player who has capped off an extraordinary year on and off the field, once again putting his name in the record books.
DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings said: “Rory brings something extraordinary to any event he enters” Tell Sky Sports. “It’s not just what he can do inside the ropes, but what he brings outside the ropes.
“He was very influential. He was a very, very smart guy who spoke well. I would say as a character he was very critical of the sport. Everything he did for the sport, from A huge asset in every sense of the word. We're really lucky to have him and he's done a great job for all of us.”
Watch Rory McIlroy on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour live on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports now or live stream DP World Tour and more.