An emotional Rory McIlroy won his sixth Race to Dubai title as he saw off Rasmus Hojgaard to win the DP World Tour Championship and finish his year in style.
After a number of high profile near-misses in 2024, McIlroy saw the tournament out in Dubai to win by two shots in the end.
McIlroy was in tears as he came to terms with tying Seve Ballesteros in an interview which showed the raw emotion the Northern Irishman brings to the table.
As we know, McIlroy is one of the most scrutinised names in all of sport.
And while he celebrated a stunning win to cap his season off, golf pundit Paul McGinley still found time to critique McIlroy and suggest further improvements.
Rory McIlroy told to look at Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler
Speaking on Sky Sports after seeing McIlroy close out the tournament, former Ryder Cup captain McGinley suggested there’s still work for Rory to do.
And according to McGinley, McIlroy can heed advice from the likes of Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler.
“It’s something he needs to work on. He is going in there, looking like a three shot lead, hitting a seven iron after a huge drive on a par five and he hasn’t missed a shot the previous four holes. And then all of a sudden he flat lines, making mistakes, making bogeys, letting everyone back in,” McGinley said.
“That was the time to press on. That is when Tiger Woods, the real greats, like Jack Nicklaus, the very top levels of the game, Nick Faldo in his prime. That’s when they get the bit between their teeth, move forward and they finish the tournament.
“Rory played great at the end, it was wonderful to see him hitting those shots under pressure, but he should have had the tournament won by then. He let it slip. That is when I talk about the confidence levels not being there, he was edgy himself. Everyone around him was edgy too, fortunately for him, and nobody take the initiative. But he certainly felt a bit of the heat out there and I think that is a legacy of what happened at the US Open.”
Adding further depth to his analysis, McGinley spoke of the efficiency in Scottie Scheffler’s game that sees him win so often.
“It’s not that he is lacking heart, but what he does lack is an ability to have absolute intensity and focus shot after shot after shot after shot. Being absolutely relentless in his focus and concentration levels.
“One of the things which makes him so appealing is that he is so human and we can all relate to him because you see the brilliance of him and then you see him flat line and go what has happened and then he goes back up again. That is what draws us into him.
“Whereas a Scottie Scheffler he doesn’t make mistakes, he does everything I was talking about, it’s not that exciting to watch, is it? So if you are talking about winning and winning more regularly, particularly the major championships, for me I know he is looking at the technique but it’s the concentration and the ability to run the marathon for 72 holes and never let up.”
McIlroy’s game is trending in the right direction ahead of a big 2025
McIlroy has spoken of his swing changes this week and it’s obvious to see there has been some improvements to his game.
Going into 2025, McIlroy can take great heart from his performance in Dubai and that fifth major cannot be far away if he keeps this level up.
Yes, McGinley has a point in terms of McIlroy becoming an absolute killer on the golf course but also, you don’t want to take away the fire and drama he brings to the game either.
McIlroy will get back to his best again and once that fifth major is bagged, don’t bet against him going on a run and suddenly climbing the list even higher.
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