Tommy Fleetwood shares his immediate reaction to the DP World Tour announcing the Rory McIlroy Award

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The DP World Tour have announced a new trophy in honor of Rory McIlroy, starting from next season.

The Rory McIlroy Award will go to the player who earns the most Race to Dubai points in the four major championships. 

The award celebrates McIlroy becoming the first European player to complete the career Grand Slam earlier this year.

Tommy Fleetwood has now reacted to the announcement of the new trophy, which he will be one of the leading contenders to win.

• READ MORE: Ryan Fox shares what happened in ‘really cool’ moment with Rory McIlroy before the PGA Championship this year

Tommy Fleetwood reacts to the Rory McIlroy Award

Rory McIlroy would probably be expected to win the award next season, but he and the DP World Tour have decided not to make him eligible.

Tommy Fleetwood joked that he was pleased to see McIlroy is ineligible because it gives him an even better chance of winning the trophy.

“Yeah, the Rory McIlroy Award that Rory can’t win. I like the sound of that. That sounds good (laughing),” he said before the DP World Tour Championship.

Fleetwood then expressed his admiration for McIlroy and explained why he is fully deserving of receiving this honor.

“Rory has earned his place in the game,” he added. “He’s done so much. For sure, I think sometimes as competitors… I don’t know, we play against Rory week in and week out.

“Look, he’s my partner in the Ryder Cup, and I think when you’re playing against him all the time, you don’t think about things that he’s achieved.

“But you’re also well aware of the history he’s created and where he will sit in the game when it’s all said and done, when he’s finished playing – an unbelievably special talent.

“I think he’s still got so much more to give. But definitely, I think having an award that is named after Rory is something that I think he should be very proud of. And yeah, he deserves everything that he gets in the game. I look forward to challenging for that hopefully next season.”

Can Tommy Fleetwood win the 2025 DP World Tour Race to Dubai?

Tommy Fleetwood’s deficit to Rory McIlroy is too big for him to win the Race to Dubai title this weekend.

The Harry Vardon Trophy will be decided between McIlroy, Marco Penge, and Tyrrell Hatton at the Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Hatton’s chances are slim because he would need to win the DP World Tour Championship and hope the Northern Irishman is not on the first page of the leaderboard.

However, Penge can realistically end McIlroy’s run of three consecutive Race to Dubai titles with a strong performance. 

If the 27-year-old finishes either first or second, he will probably stop McIlroy from winning his seventh R2D.