After a tough 2024 season that included a heartbreak at the U.S. Open, a near miss at the Irish Open at Royal County Down, and a playoff loss to Billy Horschel at the BMW PGA Championship, Rory McIlroy I am almost certain that I will finish this year with a big result. win.
He enters this week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the penultimate tournament of the DP World Tour season and the DP World Tour's first playoff event, with a huge lead in the season-long Race to Dubai standings. Masu. McIlroy leads South Africa's Thriston Lawrence with 1,572.39 points. But given that the DP World Tour will award 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 Montgomery has won the Order of Merit eight times, a record since 2005 on the DP World Tour. But McIlroy could come close to that in six innings, which would tie him for second all-time with the late great Seve Ballesteros.
Given that the Northern Irishman has a lot of golf ahead of him in the coming years, you have to imagine that he will match Montgomery one day. However, no one knows what the future holds for professional golf. The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), the beneficiary of the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, and LIV Golf, continues to work toward an agreement that would reintegrate and possibly restructure golf.
Still, McIlroy dominated the DP World Tour for many years, even though he only played part-time. He will continue to play in 10 to 12 tournaments per calendar year on the DP World Tour, including the four majors. However, things looked a little different this year. Unlike the PGA Tour, the Olympic Men's Golf Competition counts as an official event on the DP World Tour. McIlroy will therefore start 13 games before next week's DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. However, in the six non-major/non-Olympic events McIlroy has competed in, he has won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, finished runner-up three times, finished T-4 at the Scottish Open and T-25 at the Alfred Dunhill. have been acquired. St Andrews Links Championship. No wonder why he has such a big lead.
In fact, McIlroy will have to finish last, or near last, this week and next to win the Harry Vardon Trophy. Given his success this season, that's highly unlikely. But on the flip side, McIlroy could close out the season with a win or a strong performance this week. This marks the end of a roller coaster year for McIlroy.
He is scheduled to start the first round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Thursday at 12:23 a.m. ET with Lawrence and No. 3 ranked Rasmus Hejgaard. Abu Dhabi is nine hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST), so coverage on Golf Channel will begin at 2 a.m. EST.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
