Five-time major champion Rory McIlroy’s legacy in the annals of European golf has long been established. But the historic season in 2025 was an exclamation point on the career of one of the greatest golfers in history. Now, the DP World Tour has launched a new annual award to recognize McIlroy’s achievements.
McIlroy has detailed the new Rory McIlroy Award ahead of the 2025 DP World Tour Championship, explaining its importance, origins and why he will never win it.
What is the Rory McIlroy Award?
When McIlroy finally wins his first green jacket at the 2025 Masters in April, he not only fulfills his lifelong dream of winning at Augusta. He also became the sixth golfer in history to complete a career Grand Slam – winning all four of golf’s major championships.
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But McIlroy is the first European golfer to accomplish the rare feat. It is this fact that led to the creation of the new award.
Earlier on Tuesday, the DP World Tour announced the creation of the Rory McIlroy Award “in memory of Europe’s first professional Grand Slam winner.”
Starting in 2026, the award will be awarded annually to the DP World Tour player with the best performance at a major championship. This will be determined based on Race to Dubai points earned in the Grand Slam.
In a press release announcing the new award, McIlroy called the honor “humbling.”
“It is a huge honor and deeply humbling to have something named after you for generations of players to come,” McIlroy wrote. “I am extremely proud to be the first European to achieve a career Grand Slam. The majors represent the pinnacle of our sport and I hope my success inspires other DP World Tour members to chase and achieve their dreams in the years to come.”
He continued: “I look forward to seeing who becomes the first recipient of this new award in 2026 and it will be another very proud moment for me personally to present the trophy to them.”
DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings has explained why they feel now is the time to pay tribute to McIlroy, despite the fact that he is still in the prime of his career.
“There is no doubt that Rory will go on to achieve many more great things in his career and as a tour we want to mark his historic achievement this year of becoming the first European champion to win a career Grand Slam,” Kinnings wrote. “This new award will become a lasting legacy and we hope it will inspire future generations of DP World Tour members who want to follow in Rory’s footsteps and advance on golf’s biggest stage.”
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After the awards were announced, McIlroy attended the pre-match press conference for the DP World Tour Championship with reporters. New awards were the first topic brought up.
McIlroy revealed he first heard about the award shortly after winning the Masters in April. When Kinnings approached him with the idea, McIlroy initially thought it was too early in his career to have an award named after him.
“When Guy brought it up to us after the Masters, my first reaction was it was a little quick, a little early,” McIlroy explained. “The more I think about it, I’m not going to play forever.”
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He continued: “So it’s still amazing to have my name associated with this tour after my playing days and hopefully have an award named after me and that means something to future generations that they want to work towards.”
Another important detail you should know about the Rory McIlroy Award: Rory McIlroy cannot win this award.
On Tuesday, McIlroy admitted that while it “would be cool” to win his own award, he thought it would be better not to qualify for it.
“It would be cool, but I don’t qualify,” McIlroy revealed. “I thought it would be better if I didn’t do it…I think it was a decision that all of us made. We thought it was best that I didn’t qualify.”
According to the press release, the award will reward those who “seek to replicate [McIlroy’s] Achievements in golf’s four major individual championships. “
With the new award in hand, McIlroy now turns his attention to the task at hand. He is the betting favorite for this week’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship, where he is seeking a seventh Dubai Race win.
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