Dubai Telegraph - McIlroy aims for glory on happy hunting ground in Dubai

EUR -
AED 3.84509
AFN 71.777909
ALL 98.141202
AMD 408.574256
ANG 1.895444
AOA 956.307906
ARS 1050.834504
AUD 1.612295
AWG 1.88697
AZN 1.781792
BAM 1.95518
BBD 2.123426
BDT 125.68012
BGN 1.95544
BHD 0.394556
BIF 3106.673555
BMD 1.046863
BND 1.413279
BOB 7.266764
BRL 6.08667
BSD 1.051666
BTN 88.857002
BWP 14.357787
BYN 3.441808
BYR 20518.511152
BZD 2.119927
CAD 1.463907
CDF 3004.495922
CHF 0.928358
CLF 0.036943
CLP 1019.371919
CNY 7.586823
CNH 7.596382
COP 4597.413202
CRC 534.630353
CUC 1.046863
CUP 27.741865
CVE 110.231075
CZK 25.351929
DJF 187.280573
DKK 7.458552
DOP 63.369892
DZD 139.850155
EGP 52.055675
ERN 15.702942
ETB 131.05999
FJD 2.383654
FKP 0.826307
GBP 0.832863
GEL 2.852699
GGP 0.826307
GHS 16.721854
GIP 0.826307
GMD 74.327594
GNF 9065.210059
GTQ 8.118501
GYD 220.032282
HKD 8.147472
HNL 26.576948
HRK 7.467544
HTG 138.078823
HUF 411.263192
IDR 16654.540506
ILS 3.888614
IMP 0.826307
INR 88.452372
IQD 1377.782549
IRR 44078.158835
ISK 146.099629
JEP 0.826307
JMD 167.02418
JOD 0.742329
JPY 162.076355
KES 135.30763
KGS 90.541947
KHR 4241.735067
KMF 491.658984
KPW 942.176136
KRW 1467.345375
KWD 0.322141
KYD 0.876434
KZT 521.551976
LAK 23036.690094
LBP 94182.614366
LKR 305.992904
LRD 189.834296
LSL 19.030043
LTL 3.091114
LVL 0.633237
LYD 5.13737
MAD 10.518163
MDL 19.150923
MGA 4924.554963
MKD 61.549271
MMK 3400.169584
MNT 3557.239785
MOP 8.431545
MRU 41.826127
MUR 49.0452
MVR 16.174377
MWK 1823.664873
MXN 21.399132
MYR 4.676858
MZN 66.894575
NAD 19.030134
NGN 1770.328441
NIO 38.49315
NOK 11.602768
NPR 142.170924
NZD 1.795014
OMR 0.40304
PAB 1.051666
PEN 3.994832
PGK 4.233697
PHP 61.630383
PKR 292.324522
PLN 4.344295
PYG 8254.380754
QAR 3.83432
RON 4.977308
RSD 117.026668
RUB 106.047711
RWF 1445.075964
SAR 3.930488
SBD 8.761739
SCR 14.258139
SDG 629.686448
SEK 11.599638
SGD 1.409962
SHP 0.826307
SLE 23.643399
SLL 21952.194733
SOS 601.035118
SRD 37.064183
STD 21667.946639
SVC 9.202212
SYP 2630.274077
SZL 19.038413
THB 36.362743
TJS 11.200706
TMT 3.674488
TND 3.327176
TOP 2.451861
TRY 36.201935
TTD 7.138837
TWD 34.080594
TZS 2776.65598
UAH 43.420359
UGX 3885.804091
USD 1.046863
UYU 44.816635
UZS 13457.421913
VES 48.437715
VND 26608.635571
VUV 124.285657
WST 2.922413
XAF 655.764576
XAG 0.033764
XAU 0.000389
XCD 2.829199
XDR 0.802265
XOF 655.74892
XPF 119.331742
YER 261.608951
ZAR 18.964653
ZMK 9423.028407
ZMW 29.000798
ZWL 337.089399
  • BCC

    2.9500

    140.36

    +2.1%

  • SCS

    -0.0300

    13.04

    -0.23%

  • BCE

    -0.3200

    26.68

    -1.2%

  • NGG

    -0.1700

    63.1

    -0.27%

  • RIO

    0.1800

    62.57

    +0.29%

  • BTI

    -0.1000

    36.98

    -0.27%

  • GSK

    0.3500

    33.7

    +1.04%

  • BP

    0.4400

    29.52

    +1.49%

  • AZN

    1.0600

    64.26

    +1.65%

  • CMSC

    0.1200

    24.64

    +0.49%

  • RBGPF

    59.6900

    59.69

    +100%

  • JRI

    0.0000

    13.23

    0%

  • CMSD

    0.1850

    24.445

    +0.76%

  • RELX

    0.6500

    45.76

    +1.42%

  • VOD

    -0.1000

    8.84

    -1.13%

  • RYCEF

    0.1800

    6.79

    +2.65%

McIlroy aims for glory on happy hunting ground in Dubai
McIlroy aims for glory on happy hunting ground in Dubai / Photo: Fadel SENNA - AFP

McIlroy aims for glory on happy hunting ground in Dubai

Rory McIlroy gave himself an eight out of 10 for the 2024 season that promised much but delivered only two titles, but on a Dubai course where he has always brought his A-game, things can get a lot better come Sunday.

Text size:

Only one player in the field -- Thriston Lawrence -- has enough points to prevent the world number three from winning a sixth DP World Tour Order of Merit crown to match Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros and get closer to Colin Montgomerie's all-time record of eight.

However, the South African's only chance is to win the title and hope that McIlroy finishes tied for 11th or worse.

McIlroy leads Lawrence by 1,785.02 points after finishing tied third last week in Abu Dhabi.

The winner at the season-ending $10 million DP World Tour Championship receives 2,000 points and the runner-up gets 1,335 points.

However, McIlroy rules the Greg Norman-designed Earth course with an iron fist.

He may have won only twice in 13 starts, but he is a combined 179-under-par in 13 starts (3.44-under-par each round), with two wins in 2012 and 2015 and seven other top-six finishes.

In the 56 rounds he has played on the course, he has shot only four over-par rounds.

Only one player has a better record than McIlroy on this course -- Jon Rahm -- and he is not in the field.

McIlroy said he was aiming to win the tournament for the third time and not to share the 18th green on Sunday with any other player.

- Consistent, but no majors -

Last year, he had already wrapped up the Order of Merit before Dubai and had a lacklustre outing, finishing tied for 22nd – his worst result in the tournament. Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard won the biggest prize on the DP World Tour.

"I think it’s a nice time to reflect on the year when you come here and you're on the cusp of doing something that, to me, is still pretty meaningful, and just thinking about the body of work you've put together over the last 10 or 11 months," said McIlroy, who won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club in January this year.

"When you get to the business end of things at the end of the year, you start to realise at least I've put together a year that I’m pretty proud of, even if it hasn’t culminated in some of the things that I’ve wanted to achieve."

McIlroy has failed to add to the number of majors under his belt, which is why he said his season was just a pass.

He said he had been "incredibly consistent" but "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".

"You’ve got two guys at the top of the World Rankings with Xander (Schauffele) winning two majors and Scottie (Scheffler) winning a Masters and a Players and the Olympics.

"They certainly separated themselves from the pack this year. I'm very aware of that, and it only makes me more motivated to try to emulate what they did this year."

Lawrence has his own score to settle with the course. He made three birdies in his final three holes on Sunday of last year's DP World Tour Championship, but that fell agonisingly short by one shot in his effort to secure one of the 10 PGA Tour cards on offer.

At least he won't have to worry about that as he is guaranteed to be in the top 10 regardless of his finish this week.

"It's nice to have a chance. It's going to take a lot. I need to win and Rory probably needs to finish outside the top 10," said the 27-year-old world number 47, who has five runners-up finishes this season.

"Rory has been an idol for me since growing up as a youngster and being able to clinch it this week would be the cherry on the cake for myself.

"Knowing that I already have my PGA Tour card is a great feeling. That was one of my main targets all year. I have always wanted to play in America."

Only the top 50 players from the DP World Tour's season-long Race to Dubai qualify for the DP World Tour Championship.

Z.W.Varughese--DT