Rory McIlroy has had a roller coaster season with more lows than highs.
My mind immediately goes back to missing two putts from within 5 feet on the 16th and 18th holes at Pinehurst No. 2 and losing. So did his miscut at the British Open, where the wild Ayrshire weather wreaked havoc on his mind and play. Another decisive gut punch occurred during the final round of the Olympics. That time, he hit a poor wedge shot on the 15th hole that sent him into the water, ruining his chances of making it to the podium. He has also experienced heartbreak in the past few months at Royal County Down and Wentworth.
It's been a tough year for McIlroy, with plenty of off-course turmoil related to LIV Golf and, unfortunately, his personal life.
Still, the Northern Irishman almost secured his sixth Race to Dubai title on the DP World Tour, matching Seve Ballesteros for an impressive feat. Only Colin Montgomery has won more Medals of Merit, eight times.
McIlroy's season began with a runner-up finish to Tommy Fleetwood at the Dubai Invitational in January, which, I might add, was also a difficult result, but he won the following week's Hero Dubai Desert Classic. He bounced back by winning his fourth championship. In six other starts on the DP World Tour this year, McIlroy posted five top-five finishes, but the outlier was a tie for 25th at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
“It's a great honor,” McIlroy said Wednesday.
“It’s really a huge honor. Every time I come back and play, [DP World Tour]I'm proud to be a member and proud to support you in any way I can. If I win the Race to Dubai for the sixth time, it will be a really great achievement for me. ”
After 36 holes at this week's DP World Tour Championship, McIlroy is one stroke behind the lead held by Frenchman Antoine Rosner. McIlroy is at 8 under thanks to a first-round 67 and a 3-under 69 on the second day. Still, given his huge advantage in the Race to Dubai standings, he knows the season-long title will be his. So he's hoping to end this crazy year on a high with another win against an elite field at the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
“All I'm trying to do is win golf tournaments,” McIlroy said Friday.
“[That’s] my focus. I want to win my third title here at Earth Course, and if I can do that, everything else will be great. ”
The Northern Irishman got off to a strong start on Friday with four birdies in his first seven holes. However, his momentum completely stalled after two bogeys on the 8th and 10th holes.
“I hit three holes in a row from the fairway and made two bogeys on No. 8, No. 9 and No. 10,” McIlroy explained.
“We steadied the ship a little bit, but we lost some opportunities on the 14th and 15th.”
The last three holes of the Earth course were plagued with a lot of trouble, but McIlroy played the final hole at 1 under. Final birdie on the 18th.
But after hitting his tee shot, McIlroy felt he found water on the 18th, the hole grabbed by Tyrrell Hatton on Friday. But McIlroy was lucky to stay out of trouble as the ball stopped just a few feet from the penalty area. He then hit the green with his second shot and two-putted for birdie.
“I'm glad I finished with a birdie and at least hit a shot in the 60s right after the start,” McIlroy said.
“But yeah, look, I'm very comfortable here and I've had success before, so I think I have a chance going into the weekend.”
And he should.
Will this week's victory in Dubai erase all the despair he felt earlier this year? Absolutely not. But it would give him a much-needed boost heading into 2025, a season in which he hopes to match Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele.
A season-ending win would be enough reason to smile for McIlroy, but unfortunately he hasn't smiled much over the past 10 months.
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.
