Dubai: Former champion and world number one Rory McIlroy is still looking at picking up two trophies instead of one at the end of the DP World Tour Championship at the Jumeirah Golf Estates next Sunday.
McIlroy’s steady and consistent form during the course of the season has already ensured the Northern Irishman of the year-end ‘Race to Dubai’ crown. And this week McIlroy wants to further stamp his superiority in golf by winning the Dubai tournament, while replicating his own feat of 2012.
“I’m very proud to have won The Race to Dubai again for the second time in three years, and doing it not having to do anything this week I guess is an added bonus,” McIlroy told media here after playing for the DP World team in the customary Pro-Am at the Earth course on Tuesday.
“But I’m very proud of how I played throughout the season, a lot of consistent play. Obviously I had that fantastic stretch over the summer, which made up the bulk of the season for me, and how many points that I accumulated in The Race to Dubai. At the same time, it would be nice to pick up two trophies on Sunday and not just one. I am still very motivated to go out there this week and perform well,” he insisted.
Should McIlroy win the DP World title on Sunday, it will be the second time in three years for the Northern Irishman. And one of the reasons for his success is his familiarity with the course here. “Obviously I’m comfortable on this golf course. I’ve played well here, basically every year that we’ve been. I got the win in 2012 and most years it seems like a guy who wins this tournament wins The Race to Dubai, as well,” he noted.
Though he annexed both the titles at this same venue two years ago, McIlroy felt that things are a wee bit different now. “Obviously a couple years ago there was a lot more on the line. I needed to play well and I needed to win. But this year, regardless that I have won The Race to Dubai, I still want to play really well this week and try and win this tournament, because there would be no point in me showing up if I thought that I had already won something and was just here for a good time. I think we can make it an even better time if I won,” he observed.
“It would be nice to cap off the season with another win here. And I feel like I’m probably a little fresher than most of the guys, as well. I think there are a few jaded minds and bodies getting off that plane from Turkey the other night and hopefully I can use that to my advantage and put in a good performance this week,” he smiled.
His consistent performances this season will also see McIlroy being crowned European Tour No. 1 for the second time in three years. “As I said I want to pick two trophies up on the 18th green on Sunday instead of one. And I feel like I’m playing well. I’ve hit the ball in practise, so we’ll see what happens over the course of the four days,” McIlroy added.
