Rory McIlroy finished his competitive 2024 season in style after clinching the DP World Tour Championship and Race to Dubai crown.
McIlroy held his nerve at the Earth Course to hold off Dane Rasmus Hojgaard, who had started the day with a share of the lead.
Thankfully, the Northern Irishman was able to avoid any nervous moments on the 72nd hole after taking control of the tournament during the latter stages.
McIlroy’s attention will now turn to the 2025 PGA Tour season, and Eddie Pepperell has made a bold prediction about the 35-year-old’s chances of ending his ten-year wait for major number five.
Eddie Pepperell’s Rory McIlroy 2025 prediction
Speaking during the Chipping Forecast Podcast, Pepperell initially praised McIlroy’s swing changes, which appear to be paying off.
“If you look at Rory’s season, I can understand why he would only give himself a B, and three of his four wins have come on venues where he has been prolific at winning in the past, Quail Hollow, the Dubai Desert Classic and DP World the driver is the big club where he can dominate the golf course and win tournaments,” Pepperell said.
“What I liked from having watched some of the highlights was the way he won this tournament appeared to be with high-quality iron shots, and the stats do back that up.”
He added: “He has talked a lot about the swing changes he has tried to make over the last two weeks. If there is one big encouraging factor for me about Rory looking into next year, it’s that he has spent some time at home thinking about his game.
“He has invariably got it right again, which is another undercooked factor with Rory. When he spends time and thinks and works, he gets it right. A lot of players get it wrong, but he doesn’t, so he is clearly smart with his coaching.”
Pepperell, who narrowly missed out at DP World Tour Q School, also revealed that he’s “almost certain” McIlroy will win a major next season.
“I just think the sky is the limit. However, you are then going to start talking about coming up against Scottie, Jon and Xander at Augusta and major pressure at a course where he isn’t quite as comfortable. This is the next hurdle for Rory to overcome in his own mind,” Pepperell added.
“But it isn’t a massive hurdle. I know a lot of people think it is, but if he can spend the next three months hitting high-quality iron shots after high-quality iron shots and winning more tournaments, I’m almost certain he will tick off a major next year.”
What’s next for Rory McIlroy?
Next up for McIlroy is a LIV Golf vs PGA Tour match against Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka. The Las Vegas event is the first showdown that the players have organised since the breakaway league’s inception in 2022.
McIlroy will be in an optimistic mood ahead of the 2025 season. The Northern Irishman’s game is trending in the right direction, and the major championship venues feel well-suited to the 35-year-old.
Quail Hollow feels like the most likely stage for McIlroy to end his ten-year barren spell. McIlroy won the Charlotte course in 2024, and his record in Charlotte is impressive.
Furthermore, the Open returning to Royal Portrush is a golden chance for McIlroy to bounce back after a disappointing missed cut at the Northern Irish venue in 2019.
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