Rory McIlroy, a European number one in the wake of Seve and Montgomerie

Rory McIlroy is pleased to have had a successful campaign on both sides of the Atlantic as he prepares for DP World Tour Championship end of time in Jumeirah Golf Estates Dubai. The 34-year-old Northern Irishman prepared for the fifth and final event of the Rolex series of 2023 who got fifth Harry Vardon trophy of his career, which came three months after fourth place in the FedEx Cupa list that topped three times.

McIlroy is proud of his achievements in a busy 2023 campaign that saw him claim victories at the Dubai Desert Classic and the Scottish Open, and three top-ten finishes at the majors, including second place at the US Open. , won once on the PGA Tour and helped the European team regain the Ryder Cup in Rome in September.

“I would say I went through a period in my career that I didn’t prioritize, I guess. I won my third in 2015 and if you look from 2016 to 2021, I probably could have done more to try to prioritize it,” said McIlroy in the conference room. Jumeirah press after winning the Race to Dubai 2023 Ranking.

“The last two years, especially in 2023, I want to win both FedEx Cups, and I think after 2015 I put America first. I won three FedEx Cups during that time and I won another couple of Race. in Dubai.”Hard. Difficult to do in both circuits. Few achieve. I was lucky to be one of them, but I was able to stand on both sides of the pond,” he added.

The world number two can play with relative freedom on the Earth Course – a track where he has won on two previous occasions, but not since 2015 – after winning his fifth Race to Dubai crown with one race to spare. As a result, he finished third with the most victories in what was formerly known as European Order of Merit, one behind Seve Ballesteros and three behind Colin Montgomerie.

“I played well when I came back to the European Tour this year and I won two Rolex Series and I had other really high finishes in tournaments that give a lot of points,” he highlighted. “It’s really exciting to have my name on the Harry Vardon Trophy for the fifth time and only one behind Seve and a few behind ‘Monty’,” said Rory.

“I knew that now that I can come here and relax, I still wanted to come and win this golf tournament. This course suits me well. It’s nice to come here at least with that in my head so I can focus on the tournament. “

As part of the Strategic Alliance between the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour, a direct and formal path has been established for players to obtain dual membership status. The top ten players, not otherwise exempt, in the 2023 Race to Dubai Rankings will earn exemptions from the 2024 PGA Tour, while maintaining their status on the DP World Tour. McIlroy believes this opportunity can only be positive in helping golfers grow.

“This is a formalization of the path that has always been there,” said the Briton. “I got into the top 50 in the world at the end of 2008, and in 2009 I’ll start in the Middle East and then I’ll go to the United States to play Match Play, Honda, whatever. It’s always there. It’s just that It’s a little more official. But at the same time, you know, the reason the DP World Tour started was to give professional golfers opportunities to play golf tournaments and make a living. So if you look at the mission of the DP World Tour, is to give professional golfers an opportunity to play their sport, to make money, and there is no better place to have opportunities and make a living than what is happening on the PGA Tour. For golfers who play on the DP World Tour, I think what has happened is something incredible and, as I said, it provides a path to reach the highest level of professional golf,” concluded the Northern Irishman.