Rory McIlroy rates his year to date as a “B” and “a pass without flying colours” as he looks to cushion the blow of missing out on a fifth major title with a sixth Race to Dubai crown at the DP World Tour Championship.
McIlroy can move level with Seve Ballesteros and just two behind Colin Montgomerie if he can hold off his nearest challenger Thriston Lawrence in the season long race with the South African needing to win and hope McIlroy finishes outside the top-11 at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
The world number three has had another extremely consistent season but ultimately it will be known as McIlroy’s year of near misses with a string of final hurdle disappointments coming at Wentworth, the Irish Open, the Olympics and most crushing of all, the US Open in Pinehurst as his wait for a fifth major extends into an eleventh year.
“Yeah, incredibly consistent again. I think I’ve been really proud of that over the last few years,” McIlroy reflected in Dubai. “But then at the same time, you know, thinking about the ones that got a way. I could be sitting up here with a fifth major title and I am not. So that stings and that’s something that I have to come to terms with but at the same time I’ve got plenty more opportunities in the future.
“But I really just tried to focus on the positives this year of consistently performing at the highest level. You know, still having three wins with an opportunity to get a fourth here this week, to win another Race to Dubai title.
“You know, did I achieve every goal I set for myself this year? Probably not.
“But I still consider it a successful season. You’ve got two guys at the top of the World Rankings down there winning two majors. You know, Scottie winning a Masters and a PLAYERS and the Olympics. They certainly separated themselves from the pack this year. I’m obviously very aware of that, and it only makes me more motivated to try to emulate what they did this year.”
Ballesteros was an idol of McIlroy’s father, Gerry, and on potentially matching Ballesteros’ tally of six Race to Dubai titles, McIlroy added: “I am a little too young to remember a lot of Seve’s career and things that he did.
“Seve is almost like a, not a mythical character to me but was just a little bit before my time. But he was my dad’s favourite player, and I don’t think it can be — the immense impact he had on European golf from a Ryder Cup and from what he did for The European Tour, he means a lot to the overall game of golf but specifically in this part of the world and on this tour.
“So to draw level with him and to have a career that can sort of somewhat stack up against his is very cool.”
The DP World Tour released its 2025 schedule on Tuesday with the Amgen Irish Open set for the same date, before the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
McIlroy has spoken about playing a reduced schedule, particularly in America, but his run on the DP World Tour will be a case of the same again. Starting out in Dubai, playing the Scottish Open and then enjoying a raft of events post FedEx Cup.
“I think it will look very similar going forward. Start in the Middle East in Dubai, and then I don’t really play over here again until The Scottish Open. So you know, play that. That’s a tournament that I’ve enjoyed playing the last few years, especially leading up to The Open Championship.
“And then once the season in America is done, then yeah, come back over. The way the schedule is, Irish Open, Wentworth, Dunhill, these two events. Yeah, it’s going to look very similar.
“If anything, the schedule will be reduced over in the States in terms of some of the tournaments I played this year that I typically don’t play. But those are the ones that I would shave off.”
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