Rory McIlroy is now playing on the DP World Tour after his PGA Tour season came to an end at the Tour Championship.
McIlroy really wants to win the Irish Open, which is currently underway at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland.
But it comes after a tricky PGA Tour season for the four-time major champion, with McIlroy feeling a ‘distant third’ this year to Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele.
Scheffler and Schauffele have dominated the tour, with the Americans in first and second respectively in the world rankings.
McIlroy currently occupies third place, having won twice in 2024 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the Wells Fargo Championship.
Rory McIlroy says what ‘disappointed’ him ahead of the Tour Championship
His 2024 PGA Tour curtain came down at East Lake earlier this month, with McIlroy finishing the Tour Championship in tied-9th.
The four-time major winner has now looked back on his PGA Tour exploits, as well as looking ahead to the rest of the year.
“I mean I won a couple of times on the PGA Tour this year,” McIlroy told the DP World Tour. “I went close a couple of other times as well. I was honestly a little disappointed with how my season went on the PGA Tour this year.
“I always want to go into East Lake with a feeling like I have a real chance to win, and this year I felt like I had sort of half a chance, but wasn’t really in the running.
“So yeah, a little disappointed, but then I think about my opportunity coming into the last few events here, number one in the Race to Dubai, have a chance to win the Race to Dubai for a sixth time, which is really, really cool, sort of creeping up on Monty’s [Colin Montgomerie] numbers. So I really want to play well these next few weeks and give myself every chance going in.
“We’ve got two big events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in November, and if I can play well here and Wentworth and the Dunhill, I’ll make life a lot easier for myself going into those two in the Middle East. So I’m motivated and excited to try to play some good golf over these next few weeks.”
Can Rory McIlroy win a sixth Race to Dubai title?
McIlroy will perhaps be wanting to put his PGA Tour season behind him, with his major run ending particularly badly.
Currently seeking to end his decade-long major drought, McIlroy suffered a nightmare final round to narrowly lose the US Open to Bryson DeChambeau.
He then failed to make the cut at The Open Championship, but things are looking much brighter on the DP World Tour.
READ MORE: Who is Rory McIlroy? A closer look at one of the greatest golfers of all time
The five-time Race to Dubai winner is in prime position to win a third successive Race to Dubai title, and a sixth overall.
Legendary figure Montgomerie won the season-long contest, previously known as the Order of Merit, a record eight times.
Fellow legend Seve Ballesteros clinched six wins, with McIlroy discussing what it would mean to one day overtake the Spanish icon.
“Seve is obviously everything on the European Tour,” said McIlroy. “I don’t want to think that far ahead, but yeah, if I can play well these next few weeks I’ll be well on my way which is really cool.”
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
