Staff WriterRory McIlroy isn’t just chasing another title this week — he’s chasing history. The Northern Irishman arrives at the DP World Tour Championship looking to claim a record-breaking seventh Harry Vardon Trophy, a feat that would move him past Seve Ballesteros and closer to Colin Montgomerie’s all-time mark of eight.
McIlroy, currently World Number Two, leads the Race to Dubai by 767 points ahead of Marco Penge, but with 2,000 points up for grabs at Jumeirah Golf Estates, the door remains open for Penge — or even Ryder Cup teammate Tyrrell Hatton — to spoil the party.
Still, McIlroy’s form has been blistering. He closed last week’s Abu Dhabi event with a ten-under 62, the kind of statement round that suggests he’s not in Dubai to finish second.
This season already carries a golden sheen for McIlroy. His landmark victory at Augusta National in April ended years of speculation and delivered the career-defining green jacket.
Now, in a fitting tribute, the DP World Tour has announced the creation of the Rory McIlroy Award, an annual honour recognising Europe’s top performer across the four majors.
“(The Rory McIlroy Award) is a huge honour,” said McIlroy. “I spent the last 18 years of my career chasing — in 2008, it was the Sir Henry Cotton Award I was trying to get. Then trying to win Harry Vardon trophies and Seve Ballesteros Awards.
And now there’s obviously going to be an award under my name which is very, very cool, to recognise the best DP World Tour player, their performance in the four major championships over the course of the year.”
If there’s a sense of destiny about the week, McIlroy isn’t pretending otherwise.
“To move from six to seven titles, to go one past Seve would be amazing. To get one closer to Monty would be amazing, I think if I focus my energy on certain tournaments and try to play well at certain tournaments, then the Race to Dubai almost just takes care of itself.”
The setting is certainly a happy hunting ground. Jumeirah Golf Estates has long been McIlroy’s playground, and the fairways seem tailor-made for his high, majestic ball flight.
“This golf course has been good to me over the years,” he added. “The only change I noticed this year is the rough isn’t quite as long or thick, so scoring might be a little better this week. It’s set up to be another great week.”
Fleetwood’s Dubai Dream
Standing alongside McIlroy in the spotlight is Tommy Fleetwood, the Dubai resident hoping to sign off his own banner year with a win on home soil.
The Englishman finally lifted his first PGA TOUR title at the Tour Championship in August, claimed the FedExCup, and helped spearhead Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph at Bethpage Black.
He added another win in India last month and narrowly missed out in a playoff at last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, losing to close friend Aaron Rai.
“This is the last event I’m going to play this year. It has been a great year. This will be an amazing way to finish,” Fleetwood said. “My whole family are here. Lots of familiar faces, a course that I know well, and I live very, very close.”
Fleetwood has unfinished business in Dubai, having come close to winning the Tour’s season finale on multiple occasions.
“It would be very special to be on the 18th green having won. I’ve probably had a couple of chances in this tournament over the years. I’d like to do a bit better than that. I can clearly see that image in my head,” he said. “It’s turning into and already is quite an iconic course for us now on the Tour.”
While his Abu Dhabi near-miss stung, Fleetwood insists the positives far outweigh the frustration.
“It was a great tournament last week, it really was,” he said. “I feel like I played so well and consistently throughout the week. It’s easy to just feel that disappointment when you come so close. But Aaron was amazing. He totally deserves it. For me, another week, all the positives — and now one more week to go in the season.”
The Final Word
As the sun sets over the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, it’s hard to imagine a more fitting conclusion to the season.
Rory McIlroy stands on the brink of golf immortality — poised to surpass Seve, edge toward Monty, and perhaps lift both the Harry Vardon Trophy and his namesake award in one week.
He’s done it before. He knows the stage. And if there’s one thing history has shown, it’s that when the lights shine brightest, Rory McIlroy rarely misses his cue.
