McIlroy on the brink of catching Seve
Ulsterman has sights set on raising the bar for European success
Rory McIlroy held share of first-round lead in Race to Dubai finale (Pedro Salado/Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy is 35 years old.
Or some may consider him 35 years young.
Yes, the curls are gone, and you start to see some grey in his hair, but that doesn’t mean he has somehow lost his game.
Tied for the DP World Tour Championship lead in Dubai with fellow Ryder Cupper Tyrrell Hatton, it’s a virtual lock that McIlroy will win his sixth Race to Dubai title by tournament’s end.
The sixth order-of-merit title would tie him with Seve Ballesteros and put him two shy of Colin Montgomerie’s European record.
In Europe, Ballesteros is a golfing god. Even though McIlroy little knew the Spaniard who died in 2011 at age 54 the year McIlroy won his first major after stumbling at the Masters, Seve was the favorite of Rory’s father.
When Ballesteros won his titles in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1988 and 1991, it was called the European Tour Order of Merit. McIlroy was just 2 years old when Seve won his last title.
A year after Ballesteros died, McIlroy won his first Race to Dubai title.
That was 12 years ago, and now McIlroy has four major titles and 17 victories on the DP World Tour. Seventy top-10s and €56,990,643.59 in career earnings, the Ulsterman has built a significant résumé to be a candidate for the best European player ever. Seve won five majors. Nick Faldo paces all Euros with six. Montgomerie won none.
Sitting just one Masters away from a career Grand Slam, McIlroy is undoubtedly one of the best Europeans who ever teed it up. He has a good 10 years left before he will be on the back end of his career.
Nothing impedes McIlroy’s ascendency to the top of the DP World Tour’s Mount Rushmore.
And while good players make their home in Europe, none come close to challenging McIlroy.
That could change.
“The schedule that we play now, a lot of us base ourselves in America for a lot of the year, but at the same time, with the way everything has gone in golf, we don’t get the opportunity to come back and play in a lot of European Tour events, so whenever we do get that opportunity, you have to make the most of it,” McIlroy said. “I know that my DP World Tour starts are limited, so every time I tee it up, I know that I have to play well; even though I play in the biggest events with the most points and the most money, you still need to take advantage of the opportunity whenever you do, whenever you do play.”
McIlroy admitted that for a few years, he did not prioritize playing on the DP World Tour. “I think I might be a little bit closer to Monty than I am now, but it’s something that I really wanted,” he said said of catching Montgomerie.
“It’s a huge honor. It really is a huge honor. Every time that I come back and play on this tour, I’m proud to be a member, and I’m proud to support as much as I can. If I were to win the Race to Dubai for a sixth time, that would be a really cool achievement for me.”
In 2025, McIlroy will change his schedule, playing fewer tournaments on the PGA Tour and the same number of tournaments on the DP World Tour.
Actions speak louder than words.