Rory McIlroy would give himself a mark of B for his 2024 season which is likely to end in a sixth Race to Dubai title this weekend.
Only Thriston Lawrence can prevent McIlroy finishing on top of the money list with the South African needing to win the season-ending DP World Tour Championship and hope McIlroy finishes tied 11th or lower.
It all points to another success for McIlroy in what has been a strong year. He has won three titles and recorded nine other top-10 finishes, but it is the one that got away that still haunts him.
The Northern Irishman was in pole position to win a fifth major at the US Open – and his first in 10 years – at Pinehurst but a late-round collapse that saw him bogey three of the last four holes meant he was overtaken by Bryson DeChambeau.
“I should be sitting here with a fifth major, that stings” 😔
Rory McIlroy says he’d give himself a B rating for his season but still rues missing out on winning the US Open ⛳ pic.twitter.com/3BTeNJl2Fg
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 13, 2024
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McIlroy proud of consistency
Asked to assess his year, McIlroy told reporters: “Incredibly consistent again. I think I’ve been really proud of that over the last few years.
“But then at the same time, you know, thinking about the ones that got away, I could be sitting up here with a fifth major title and I am not.
“So that stings and that’s something that I have to come to terms with, but at the same time I’ve got plenty more opportunities in the future.
“But I really just tried to focus on the positives this year of consistently performing at the highest level, still having three wins with an opportunity to get a fourth here this week, to win another Race to Dubai title.
“Did I achieve every goal I set for myself this year? Probably not. But I still consider it a successful season.”
Asked to give himself a mark, he added: “It would be a pass, not a pass with flying colours, probably a B.”
McIlroy hopes to equal Seve’s record
McIlroy can draw level with Seve Ballesteros by finishing top of the money list for a sixth time, an achievement he admits would be “very cool”.
He said: “I am a little too young to remember a lot of Seve’s career and things that he did.
“Seve is almost like a, not a mythical character to me, but was just a little bit before my time.
“But he was my dad’s favourite player and [with] the immense impact he had on European golf from a Ryder Cup perspective and from what he did for the European Tour, he means a lot to the overall game of golf.
“So to draw level with him and to have a career that can somewhat stack up against his is very cool.”
