Rory McIlroy came into last season's DP World Tour Championship already confident of taking his fifth Race to Dubai title, regardless of his performance in the season finale on the European circuit. Although McIlroy is well ahead in this year's race, he still has work to do if he wants to secure his third consecutive title this season and the sixth of his career.
The four-time major champion built a lead of almost 1,800 points over Thirston Lawrence and alone needs to finish 11th or better to secure another successful European victory. If he fails to do so, McIlroy hopes Lawrence – the only player in the 50-man field who can usurp him – stays out of the winner's circle.
“Obviously it’s nice to have a chance,” Lawrence said. “It will take a lot. I think I have to win and Rory probably has to finish outside the top 10. I haven't done the math yet. But it's just incredible to have a chance. So I'm very grateful to be in the top 50 to compete this week. It's been an incredible year, and yes, Rory has been an idol since I was a teenager, and making it cake for myself this week would be icing on the cake.
What makes McIlroy's advantage all the more impressive is the manner in which it was achieved. While Lawrence topped 25 DP World Tour events, McIlroy only needed 12 to almost win the competition. His campaign began with a two-week stay in Dubai, where he finished second and won a record fourth Dubai Desert Classic trophy.
A mishap on the final hole in his season opener may have been a sign of things to come, as McIlroy's 2024 may be defined not just by his consistency but also by his close calls. His second runner-up finish of the season came in heartbreaking fashion at the US Open, before falling just short again in defense of the Scottish Open.
The Northern Irishman's summer of near misses continued as a mistimed double bogey on the back nine of the Olympics saw his name dropped from medal contention. The following month he returned to his home country for the Irish Open, where there was no home cooking for McIlroy; A 65 from Rasmus Højgaard in the final round was enough to beat the local hero by one point. A week later, McIlroy lost in a playoff to Billy Horschel at the BMW PGA Championship after failing to birdie the regulation par-5 18th.
“I feel like I've been golf's 'almost man' for three years,” McIlroy said after the Olympics. “I obviously want the tide to turn and go from being an 'almost man' to winning golf tournaments again. It's all well and good to say that I'm close, close and close. Once I actually step over the threshold and convert those near misses and turn close calls into wins, that's what I have to do.”
McIlroy added his 12th top-five finish worldwide at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship last week, making it so that a top-10 finish this week would be all it would take to secure the Harry Vardon Trophy. It would be a fitting end for McIlroy to lift the giant trophy again on Sunday and would be a testament to his consistency – which is all too often overlooked.
In a season in which his approach numbers were the lowest since his rookie year on the PGA Tour, McIlroy still competed in multiple tournaments. In a season where many will remember the painful defeats, McIlroy still won three times. In a season dominated by Americans, McIlroy proved he is still the best European golfer in the world.
“I think Rory had a great year,” said Tommy Fleetwood. “Of course I think it's easy for anyone to imagine what could have happened if things had turned out a little differently. But at the same time you can only talk about these things if he constantly has the chance to do so.” Week after week he has shown amazing consistency.
“You know, it's obviously not over yet, but he has a very good chance and a chance to win another Race to Dubai title. “Of course Rory is held to a higher standard than pretty much anyone else in the world.” But I think he's shown great golf again this year and shown why he's one of the best there's ever been.
