Rory McIlroy fights back tears in emotional 2024 finale that saw him match Seve Ballesteros record
Rory McIlroy fought back tears as he finished his 2024 season on a high after turmoil on and off the golf course. McIlroy won the DP World Tour Championship and Race to Dubai in his final event of the year. There was huge relief for McIlroy at the endGetty The Northern Irishman only needed a top-11 finish at Jumeirah Golf Estates to reach the summit of the season rankings, with South African Lawrence the only player able to deny him with a win in Dubai. However, Lawrence’s challenge never materialised and when he came home in one under par for the event, McIlroy secured his third successive Race to Dubai crown with five holes left in his final round. The 35-year-old then held off the challenge of Rasmus Hojgaard to lift the DP World Tour Championship. The world number three joins Spanish great Seve Ballesteros in second place in the all-time list with six order of merit triumphs, with only Colin Montgomerie ahead of the pair with eight victories. When asked about matching Seve’s record, McIlroy told Sky Sports: “It’s really cool. I think everyone knows what Seve means to European golf and Ryder Cup players. “In the European and Ryder Cup locker rooms all we have is quotes of Seve, a changing room with a shirt of his from ‘75, the last Ryder Cup he played. “He means so much to European golf and for me to be mentioned in the same breath as him, I’m very proud.” McIlroy had plenty of near-misses in 2024, as he saw his US Open challenge collapse in the final round. His marriage struggles also went very public, with the Northern Irishman filing for divorce before he reconciled with Erica Stroll. “It means a lot. I’ve been through a lot this year, professionally and personally,” It’s a fitting end to 2024. McIlroy described it as a fitting end to his year https://twitter.com/SkySportsGolf/status/1858123696700903742 “I’ve persevered this year, had close calls and wasn’t able to get it done. So to get over the line. “I had a great start, but didn’t play my best in the middle of the round. To get even par on 15 was huge. I made four great swings coming in. “Really pleased with the way I finished, thankfully I hung on on a tough day.” He put plenty of work in off the course before heading to Abu Dhabi, revealing he had been trialling out a new swing at his studios in Florida and New York fore three weeks. McIlroy would constantly hit balls at a screen with his new swing but would not even bother looking at the flight of the ball. He revealed the primary reason for altering his swing was to fare better in high-pressure situations. McIlroy is now chasing down Montgomerie’s recordGetty That ultimately paid off for him. Now he is eyeing Montgomerie’s record. He added: “I’m up for it. I’ve just won my third in a row. I’ve really made it a priority of my schedule to give myself the chance of winning the Race to Dubai/ “I don’t see that being any different for the foreseeable future. I’m going to go for my seventh next year and chase Monty down.”
Rory McIlroy fought back tears as he finished his 2024 season on a high after turmoil on and off the golf course.
McIlroy won the DP World Tour Championship and Race to Dubai in his final event of the year.
The Northern Irishman only needed a top-11 finish at Jumeirah Golf Estates to reach the summit of the season rankings, with South African Lawrence the only player able to deny him with a win in Dubai.
However, Lawrence’s challenge never materialised and when he came home in one under par for the event, McIlroy secured his third successive Race to Dubai crown with five holes left in his final round.
The 35-year-old then held off the challenge of Rasmus Hojgaard to lift the DP World Tour Championship.
The world number three joins Spanish great Seve Ballesteros in second place in the all-time list with six order of merit triumphs, with only Colin Montgomerie ahead of the pair with eight victories.
When asked about matching Seve’s record, McIlroy told Sky Sports: “It’s really cool. I think everyone knows what Seve means to European golf and Ryder Cup players.
“In the European and Ryder Cup locker rooms all we have is quotes of Seve, a changing room with a shirt of his from ‘75, the last Ryder Cup he played.
“He means so much to European golf and for me to be mentioned in the same breath as him, I’m very proud.”
McIlroy had plenty of near-misses in 2024, as he saw his US Open challenge collapse in the final round.
His marriage struggles also went very public, with the Northern Irishman filing for divorce before he reconciled with Erica Stroll.
“It means a lot. I’ve been through a lot this year, professionally and personally,” It’s a fitting end to 2024.
“I’ve persevered this year, had close calls and wasn’t able to get it done. So to get over the line.
“I had a great start, but didn’t play my best in the middle of the round. To get even par on 15 was huge. I made four great swings coming in.
“Really pleased with the way I finished, thankfully I hung on on a tough day.”
He put plenty of work in off the course before heading to Abu Dhabi, revealing he had been trialling out a new swing at his studios in Florida and New York fore three weeks.
McIlroy would constantly hit balls at a screen with his new swing but would not even bother looking at the flight of the ball.
He revealed the primary reason for altering his swing was to fare better in high-pressure situations.
That ultimately paid off for him. Now he is eyeing Montgomerie’s record.
He added: “I’m up for it. I’ve just won my third in a row. I’ve really made it a priority of my schedule to give myself the chance of winning the Race to Dubai/
“I don’t see that being any different for the foreseeable future. I’m going to go for my seventh next year and chase Monty down.”
