Rory McIlroy is about to score one of his top goals. Will anyone get in his way?
Rory McIlroy has made a great practice of recounting his career milestones recently. In early 2025, McIlroy said he was most focused on achieving three things for the rest of his career:
– Win the Masters
– Win the Ryder Cup again
– Win an Olympic medal
Nine months later, it’s inspections, inspections, and maybe future inspections. But for those closest to the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour), McIlroy is pursuing another echelon.
Most golf fans may miss that it’s a longer, quieter pursuit, but I’m sure McIlroy won’t feel the same way about it. He wants to be considered the greatest European golfer of all time, and if he’s not there yet, he’ll be able to get closer to that title next week in Dubai.
McIlroy leads the race in Dubai with a week to go, with only Tyrrell Hatton and Marco Penge likely to stand in his way. Winning the year-round title isn’t necessarily special for McIlroy, but it’s indicative of something greater. This will be his seventh career victory in the Race to Dubai, an award formerly known as the Order of Merit, and McIlroy ranks second in career points in this area. Colin Montgomery leads the way with eight titles.
McIlroy will be hosting a press conference at Jumeirah Golf Estates in the coming days and will no doubt be asked about it. It will be his fourth consecutive Dubai victory and first since last year, when he tied Seve Ballesteros for six, something McIlroy is excited about.
“I just think about what Sevey means to the game, to this tour, to the European Ryder Cup team,” McIlroy said. “We were sitting in the Ryder Cup dressing room and every wall you saw was plastered with Sevey’s quotes. We had a dressing room in Italy last year that had the last jersey he wore in the Ryder Cup at Oak Hill in ’95.
“I think that’s it, plus the fact that I’ve had a lot of close calls this year. Of course, on the back nine, it’s not easy for me either.
“I think the Sevi incident plus finally crossing the line after a long time, I think the emotions of it all kind of hit me. Yeah, that’s why I had to calm myself down.”
After a few minutes, he began to look forward to it.
“I’ve come this far, I might as well try to get to eight or nine [titles],” McIlroy said. “If I’m going to pass Monty, it’s got to be six and three in a row and prioritize Dubai and the DP World Tour and try to achieve what no one else in the game has achieved.
“But I think, I’ve got 10 years left. Again, the other thing is, who knows what the golf world will look like in a few years. But as long as the Race to Dubai is still going on and there’s the Order of Merit and we’re on this tour, I’m going to want it, yeah.”
Twelve months on, McIlroy still has a chance to do it again, thanks in part to his 62nd in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, which saw him tie for third. Tyrrell Hatton must win next week and hope McIlroy can finish outside the top eight. The only outcome that guarantees Marco Penge the top spot is a complete victory. (That would require McIlroy to finish outside of second overall.) Otherwise, Penge will need to finish in the top three and pray that McIlroy doesn’t do what he usually does at Jumeirah Golf Estates: win. McIlroy won year-end championships in 2012, 2015 and 2024.
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