Zürcher Nachrichten - McIlroy aims for glory on happy hunting ground in Dubai

EUR -
AED 3.855359
AFN 71.377323
ALL 98.9304
AMD 409.516427
ANG 1.892125
AOA 958.34413
ARS 1056.623594
AUD 1.615519
AWG 1.889397
AZN 1.783436
BAM 1.959346
BBD 2.119737
BDT 125.457077
BGN 1.955898
BHD 0.395617
BIF 3039.829534
BMD 1.049665
BND 1.414788
BOB 7.281457
BRL 6.100126
BSD 1.0499
BTN 88.512294
BWP 14.342507
BYN 3.435719
BYR 20573.431932
BZD 2.116271
CAD 1.468019
CDF 3012.538394
CHF 0.930822
CLF 0.037165
CLP 1025.470248
CNY 7.599311
CNH 7.606927
COP 4605.667141
CRC 535.068474
CUC 1.049665
CUP 27.81612
CVE 110.686953
CZK 25.297954
DJF 186.546724
DKK 7.457556
DOP 63.403524
DZD 140.299428
EGP 52.079328
ERN 15.744973
ETB 129.119469
FJD 2.388985
FKP 0.828518
GBP 0.835408
GEL 2.875939
GGP 0.828518
GHS 16.58171
GIP 0.828518
GMD 74.526346
GNF 9059.657727
GTQ 8.106673
GYD 219.655948
HKD 8.169091
HNL 26.482792
HRK 7.487532
HTG 137.799417
HUF 409.458002
IDR 16637.71341
ILS 3.824506
IMP 0.828518
INR 88.457727
IQD 1375.585844
IRR 44164.650178
ISK 145.073956
JEP 0.828518
JMD 166.621585
JOD 0.744525
JPY 161.875648
KES 135.931727
KGS 91.099783
KHR 4252.192128
KMF 495.96684
KPW 944.698007
KRW 1469.588545
KWD 0.323055
KYD 0.874917
KZT 524.238873
LAK 23050.641277
LBP 94049.974422
LKR 305.502961
LRD 188.939707
LSL 19.03039
LTL 3.099387
LVL 0.634932
LYD 5.127613
MAD 10.574845
MDL 19.19247
MGA 4901.935038
MKD 61.604812
MMK 3409.270632
MNT 3566.761255
MOP 8.413649
MRU 41.886862
MUR 49.039901
MVR 16.227576
MWK 1821.168622
MXN 21.256448
MYR 4.673157
MZN 67.084504
NAD 19.030647
NGN 1771.288201
NIO 38.575455
NOK 11.650062
NPR 141.620031
NZD 1.795658
OMR 0.404098
PAB 1.04992
PEN 3.982432
PGK 4.225689
PHP 61.895602
PKR 291.596027
PLN 4.312506
PYG 8179.805456
QAR 3.821305
RON 4.976566
RSD 116.999844
RUB 109.171889
RWF 1438.040905
SAR 3.941569
SBD 8.799923
SCR 14.330794
SDG 631.372893
SEK 11.529645
SGD 1.412723
SHP 0.828518
SLE 23.858676
SLL 22010.952976
SOS 599.826672
SRD 37.256789
STD 21725.944051
SVC 9.186628
SYP 2637.314389
SZL 19.030664
THB 36.384557
TJS 11.191784
TMT 3.673827
TND 3.338456
TOP 2.458422
TRY 36.294159
TTD 7.131043
TWD 34.062702
TZS 2781.612304
UAH 43.569361
UGX 3890.040978
USD 1.049665
UYU 44.750999
UZS 13467.200332
VES 48.873774
VND 26682.481618
VUV 124.618326
WST 2.930235
XAF 657.15898
XAG 0.034777
XAU 0.0004
XCD 2.836771
XDR 0.803054
XOF 655.517644
XPF 119.331742
YER 262.33747
ZAR 18.932858
ZMK 9448.244693
ZMW 28.950504
ZWL 337.991668
  • RBGPF

    0.8100

    61

    +1.33%

  • CMSC

    0.0578

    24.73

    +0.23%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0300

    6.77

    -0.44%

  • NGG

    0.1500

    63.26

    +0.24%

  • SCS

    0.4500

    13.72

    +3.28%

  • GSK

    0.1900

    34.15

    +0.56%

  • BTI

    -0.0500

    37.33

    -0.13%

  • RIO

    0.6300

    62.98

    +1%

  • CMSD

    0.1200

    24.58

    +0.49%

  • BP

    -0.4000

    29.32

    -1.36%

  • VOD

    0.1800

    8.91

    +2.02%

  • RELX

    -0.1800

    46.57

    -0.39%

  • BCC

    8.7200

    152.5

    +5.72%

  • JRI

    0.1600

    13.37

    +1.2%

  • BCE

    0.2500

    27.02

    +0.93%

  • AZN

    0.7700

    66.4

    +1.16%

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.

H.Roth--NZN