Rory McIlroy is all but certain to end the year with a major after a harrowing 2024 season that included a heartbreaking win at the U.S. Open, a win at Royal County Down Royal County Down in the Irish Open and a loss to Billy Horschel in the BMW PGA Championship playoffs. win.
He will compete in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship this week, the penultimate event of the DP World Tour season and the first DP World Tour playoff event, on top of the season-long Battle for Dubai standings Maintaining a huge lead. McIlroy leads South Africa's Thriston Lawrence with 1,572.39 points. But with the DP World Tour awarding 1,500 points to the winner of this week's event, McIlroy looks destined to win his sixth Harry Vardon Trophy.
Believe it or not, Colin Montgomerie has won eight Medals of Honor, a DP World Tour record that has stood since 2005. But McIlroy can get even closer to that achievement, with six honours, which would tie him with the late great Seve Ballesteros for second all-time.
Considering the Northern Irishman still has a lot of golf ahead of him in the coming years, you have to imagine he could one day rival Montgomery. However, who knows what the future of professional golf will look like. The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), a beneficiary of the DP World Tour, PGA Tour and LIV Golf, continues to work towards a deal that would reunify (and perhaps reorganize) the sport.
However, despite being a part-time player, McIlroy dominated the DP World Tour for many years. He will likely continue to play 10 to 12 events a year on the DP World Tour, including four majors. This year, though, looks a little different. Unlike the PGA Tour, the Olympic men's golf tournament is considered an official DP World Tour event. As a result, McIlroy will have 13 starts ahead of next week's DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. But in his six non-major/non-Olympic events to date, McIlroy has won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, had three runner-up finishes, tied for 4th at the Scottish Open, and finished third at the Alf Red Dunhill finished tied for 25th at the St. Andrews Links Championship. It's no wonder why he has such a significant lead.
In fact, McIlroy has to finish last or near last this week and next or he won't win the Harry Varden Trophy. Given his success this season, the chances of that happening are slim to none. But McIlroy, on the other hand, could end the season with a win or a strong finish this week. It would cap off a rollercoaster year for McIlroy.
He will start the first round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Thursday at 12:23 pm ET along with Lawrence and third-ranked Rasmus Hojgaard. Golf Channel begins coverage at 2 a.m. ET, as Abu Dhabi is nine hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST).
Jack Milko is the golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Get more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jackmilko as well as.
