Ahead of this week’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship, four-time Major champion Rory McIlroy heaped praise on Dubai’s investment into golf, and believes the European Tour owe a debt of gratitude to the Emirate for the opportunities it has given players.
The Northern Irishman has enjoyed plenty of success in the UAE with two wins at the fourth and final Rolex Series event of the season, as well as securing a first European Tour title at the Dubai Desert Classic in 2009.
“Dubai has been the cornerstone of the European Tour for the last -- well, since 2009, since the Race to Dubai started, which is my second year on Tour,” said McIlroy, who has claimed the season-long title three times.
“They’ve hosted the Dubai Desert Classic since the ‘80s and have just the massively invested in golf over the last few years. DP World coming on board to be the umbrella sponsor of the Tour; I think is wonderful news. It solidifies the Tour’s future for a long time. And I think it gives the lot of the members on this Tour peace of mind and they’re going to be playing for good prize funds and in good events.
“So I think all the players owe this region, especially Dubai, a debt of gratitude because they’ve invested so heavily in our game, and we’ve all benefited from it.”
McIlroy was sorely missed at last year’s DP World Tour Championship, having chosen not to travel due to the ongoing pandemic, and nearly decided not to make the trip over this year following a disappointing Ryder Cup performance.
“I wasn’t always planning to be here and play,” he said. “After the Ryder Cup, I didn’t really know what I was going to do, but I decided to play a bit more and try to push through some of the things I was working on in my game.
“I came through the other side of that, so it’s important to be here. I missed it last year because of covid, I just didn’t want to deal with the travel and the bubble and that sort of stuff. But this year is a little different and a little more normal, I guess. So it’s good to be here.
“It’s a place I’ve had success on. It’s a course that suits my game really well. I’ll have a good chance this week. I don’t feel like I need to do anything too special to give myself a chance on Sunday.”
Despite winning twice in 2021, it’s been somewhat of a difficult year for the Ulsterman. He dropped out of the top 15 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time since 2009 earlier in the season, struggled with inconsistency off the tee after trying to emulate Bryson DeChambeau, and was benched for the first time at the Ryder Cup in September as America ripped apart the Europeans.
Having said that, McIlroy is still one of the very best and most open golfers on the planet.
“It’s been a good year,” reflected McIlroy. “I feel like it’s been a year of exploration, learning. There’s been some good parts, obviously the couple wins in the States were nice. I was tied for the lead with nine holes to go at a Major Championship, at the U.S. Open.
“There’s been some good stuff in there. I’ve worked hard. I’ve learned a few things. And I feel like I sort of went through that sort of barrier, struggle, if you will, and then I came through the other side of it.
“It has, it’s been an interesting year. I don’t regret any of it. I think it’s been a good year. Happy to be here. Happy to feel like my game is in good shape. As you said, I’ll play here, play Tiger’s event in the Bahamas in a couple weeks’ time. I feel like I’m playing well. I got some confidence from the win in Vegas. Try to finish the year on a high.”
