Rory McIlroy had a tearful end to what he described as “absolutely” the most emotionally draining year he has ever had, as he signed off 2024 with a triumphant Dubai double.
The Northern Irishman held off the challenge of Rasmus Hojgaard to win the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
That was the exclamation mark on his resounding success in the Race to Dubai. It was his third Harry Vardon Trophy in a row, and his sixth in all.
When he was reminded, in a flash interview straight after holing the putt that won the tournament, that had tied the number of order of merit wins Seve Ballesteros had, McIlroy had to wipe away tears.
Ballesteros, the late Spanish great, had been the favourite player of McIlroy’s dad, and is still the driving force behind the European Ryder Cup side of which McIlroy has been a mainstay for so long.
“Personally, for me, it is a huge achievement,” McIlroy said.
“All week, it has been building and building. After the first round, I played well and Thriston [Lawrence, the only challenger left to McIlroy in the Race to Dubai standings] was a little bit behind.
“It felt like a little bit of a foregone conclusion, but it never really hits you until it actually happens.
“I just think about what Seve means to the game, to this tour, and to the European Ryder Cup team. We sit in the locker room at the Ryder Cup and the place is just filled with Seve quotes.
“We had a changing room last year in Italy with the last shirt he ever wore when he played the Ryder Cup at Oakhill in ’95.”
McIlroy ended up winning by two strokes at the Earth Course, but had required a fine finish to edge out Hojgaard, as well as stave off the nerves that have betrayed him a number of times during close finishes this season.
“I think it was that combined with the fact I have had so many close calls this year, and I certainly didn’t make it easy for myself on the back nine,” McIlroy said.
“The combination of the Seve thing and the fact I got over the line for the first time in what has felt like a long time, the emotion of it all hit me.
“This is a big day for me to end 2024 like this. It means a lot, and I am looking forward to 2025.”
While he professed himself satisfied with what he has achieved this season, he acknowledged that his campaign might be defined by the wins he didn’t get as much as the ones he did.
Most recently, he lost out in a play-off at the BMW PGA Championship, and before that had lost by a stroke to Hojgaard at the Amgen Irish Open.
His most significant narrow loss was when Bryson DeChambeau stole the US Open from him when it was within McIlroy’s grasp.
The world No 3 also referenced the fact he has had a tough time away from the course. Before signing his card after his final-round 69 at JGE, he kissed his daughter Poppy and wife Erica, and said he looked forward to celebrating this win with them.
“This was an incredibly meaningful day for me to get over the line and win my last tournament of the season,” McIlroy said.
“It’s been quite the year. But 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.”
Of his three individual wins this year, two have come in Dubai. He started out the season with a last-hole loss to Tommy Fleetwood at the Dubai Invitational, then defended his Desert Classic title at Emirates Golf Club.
To bookend the campaign, he will be taking away two trophies from the city this time. It is the third time he has won both the Tour Championship and the Race to Dubai.
“I have never been offered [UAE citizenship] but if I were to be offered, I probably would take it, yeah,” McIlroy said of the city he once called home.
“I lived here for four years. I was a resident. I love this part of the world. I always have. I was lucky enough to receive an invite to the Dubai Desert Classic in 2006 as an amateur, and I've been coming back to this region every year since.
“It’s been 18 pretty cool years. There have been a lot of fond memories along the way, and as long as this region continues to be an important part of the world of golf, I'll keep coming back.
“I love coming back here, and I have a lot of friends, and I try to make it a point to come back as much as I can.”
