The DP World Tour has introduced the creation of the „Rory McIlroy Award“ to commemorate the Northern Irish golfer’s Grand Slam success.
The brand new award, for which McIlroy is ineligible, will reward the very best efficiency by a European participant over the course of the 12 months’s 4 majors.
It follows McIlroy turning into the sixth participant — and first European — to finish a profession Grand Slam after his Masters success earlier this 12 months.
The primary winner of the award can be topped on the 2026 Open Championship.
McIlroy is simply the fifth participant to have a European Tour award named in his honour, following on from Seve Ballesteros, Harry Vardon, Sir Henry Cotton and John Jacobs.
„To have one thing named after you, that can be offered to future generations of gamers, is a big honour and it is extremely humbling,“ McIlroy stated.
„It actually means rather a lot to me as a result of the DP World Tour was the place I began my profession. I’ve at all times cherished enjoying on it and, after all, representing Europe and the Tour within the Ryder Cup.
„I am extremely proud to be the primary European to realize the Profession Grand Slam. The Majors signify the head of our sport, and I hope my success can encourage different DP World Tour members to chase and obtain their very own desires for years to return.
„I look ahead to seeing who turns into the primary recipient of this new award in 2026 and it is going to be one other very proud second for me personally to current the trophy to them.“
McIlroy, in the meantime, believes stepping away from involvement within the sport’s politics has improved his golf and private happiness.
On the peak of the autumn out from the fracture attributable to LIV Golf, the Northern Irishman discovered himself the unofficial spokesman for the PGA Tour, fielding questions on it at each occasion and, as a member of the Tour’s coverage board, being concerned in behind-the-scenes discussions.
However McIlroy has taken a again seat since standing down in November 2023, successful seven occasions together with the Grand Slam-competing Masters victory.
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„From a {golfing} perspective, stepping away from the politics and being intimately concerned, it is positively made me happier from a {golfing} perspective,“ McIlroy stated.
„Once I was on the board, I used to be clued in, I talked to folks, I acquired totally different opinions however on the identical time I felt prefer it was taking away from a number of the different issues I wish to do in my life.
„You’ll be able to’t hold all of the plates spinning on the identical time and one thing needed to give. If you happen to have a look at my golf since then, it has been a fairly good run.
„I’ve a transparent head and I am out of all of the political stuff in golf, mainly, and I can simply concentrate on enjoying and making myself competitively pleased by enjoying within the tournaments that I wish to play.
„And having extra time to make myself personally pleased doing issues I wish to do away from golf, travelling with my household and displaying my daughter totally different elements of the world, is a really good place to be in life.“
McIlroy is chasing a fourth-successive Race to Dubai title this week and a seventh Order of Advantage in whole, which might surpass Seve Ballesteros and put him only one behind Colin Montgomerie.
Marco Penge and Ryder Cup teammate Tyrrell Hatton are the one two gamers who can cease him on the DP World Tour Championship.
Regardless of being primarily based in the US, McIlroy has maintained robust hyperlinks with the DP World Tour he nonetheless considers ‚house‘ and he referred to as on different gamers to „step up“ their help.
„With the fractured nature of the boys’s skilled recreation on the minute, this tour wants all of its stars to step up and play within the huge occasions,“ McIlroy added.
„I really feel fairly a accountability to try this and to attempt to make this tour as robust as it could actually presumably be.“
Tommy Fleetwood, one other a kind of stars, has defended himself in opposition to accusations of gamesmanship final week.
The Southport golfer was criticised by tv commentators after leaving fellow Englishman and eventual winner Aaron Rai ready on the tee for his or her play-off on the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
„I really feel prefer it’s disappointing. I’d hope everyone is aware of that I would not do something like that and I feel the world of Aaron as effectively,“ he stated.
„We walked off the 18th and I used to be determined to go to the bathroom … I ran to the bathroom; ran to the tee.“
DP World have prolonged their title sponsorship of the tour till 2035.
