The best European golfer of the last decade and a half was also the best European golfer in 2024. Rory McIlroy emerged from a three-way battle for the lead in the 2024 DP World Tour Championship to claim his fourth global win of the season and his sixth Race to Dubai crown. McIlroy's 69 in the final round was enough to move his name to 15 under for the tournament, two shots clear of Rasmus Højgaard.
“It means a lot to me. “I’ve been through a lot this year professionally and personally,” McIlroy said. “It feels like a worthy end to 2024. You know, yeah, look, I've persevered a lot this year. I had narrow chances. Couldn’t make it.”
“So to get over the finish line I had a great start and couldn't give my best in the middle of the lap and Rasmus and I both struggled to get going. I thought to save Par on.” 15 was great. I made four great swings – the wedge at 16, the shot at 18 and two shots at the last one. Luckily I persevered through a tough day and made it.”
By winning the Race to Dubai title, McIlroy moves level with European legend Seve Ballesteros with six titles throughout the season. He's also now just two shy of Collin Montgomerie's all-time record of winning seven in a row from 1993 to 1999. McIlroy's latest Race to Dubai is his third in a row – the second such series in his career.
“It’s really cool,” McIlroy said. “I think everyone knows what Seve means to European golf and to Ryder Cup players. European Ryder Cup locker room, all we have are quotes from Seve. We had a dressing room with Seve's jersey from 1995, the last Ryder Cup he competed in (He means so much to European golf and to be mentioned in this breath makes me very proud.”
After sharing the lead overnight, McIlroy fell two points behind in the early stages of the final round when Antoine Rozner's opening birdie was answered with an opening bogey from the Northern Irishman's blade. The early body blow stunned McIlroy back into his rhythm as he quickly got back to his feet and made four straight birdies to secure the clear lead.
Despite a bogey before the turn, McIlroy maintained his lead until the final nine laps, where Højgaard posed his biggest challenge. After missing a shot on the par-4 13th, McIlroy moved completely level with the 35-year-old and appeared keen to follow in the footsteps of his twin brother Nicolai, who had won the tournament a year earlier.
However, for the second day in a row, Højgaard failed to put a birdie on the inside half, leaving the door open for McIlroy, who eventually marched straight through. A dart into the par-4 16th set up a tap-in birdie and gave McIlroy the advantage with two holes left to play. When Højgaard's birdie attempt from 20 feet failed on the par-5 18th, McIlroy knew that both the DP World Tour Championship and the Race to Dubai titles were his, but went for one last par to be on the safe side. Breakers.
All is not lost for Højgaard. The 23-year-old finished second in the Race to Dubai and first among those otherwise exempt on the PGA Tour. The talented right-hander secured his playing privileges in the US, a year after Matthieu Pavon memorably put him on the wrong side with a flurry of late birdies, and will join his brother on the PGA Tour in 2025. Thirston Lawrence, Paul Waring, Matteo Manassero and McIlroy's compatriot Tom McKibbin are among the others doing the same.
However, the day – and the year – belonged to McIlroy. Amid a tumultuous campaign, the four-time major champion added another entry to his Hall of Fame-worthy resume. McIlroy is now up to 41 worldwide victories as a professional, nine full-season crowns between the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour and a run inside the top 20 of the Official World Golf Ranking since the Great Recession, not just the best European golfer of the year year 2024, but of all time.
