Tearful Rory McIlroy offers emotional interview after season-ending Dubai win

November 17, 2024

Rory McIlroy gave a tearful interview after profitable the DP World Tour Championship.

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Rory McIlroy’s birdie putt fell into the underside of the opening, and for only a second, his physique was overcome with emotion.

However the emotion that joined this birdie on the 18th on the DP World Tour Championship to assert his fourth and last worldwide win of 2024 was not the standard mix of jubilation and achievement. It appeared to be an emotion of a deeper, rawer type — crashing over him instantly and but constructing inside him for months. That emotion appeared like reduction.

The occasions of the previous couple of hours had pushed him to the brink. As soon as once more he discovered himself charging down the again 9 at a match clinging to a lead, and as soon as once more it appeared just like the forces of destiny had been conspiring towards him. He gave up 4 photographs between the seventh and 14th holes, making a pair of bogeys and lacking a pair of birdies on par-5s. However then got here an all-important birdie on the sixteenth, and by the point he strode as much as the 18th inexperienced even a three-putt would have been sufficient to safe the victory over Rasmus Hojgaard.

McIlroy two-putted for birdie, and the wave washed over him. He’d received his last begin of 2024, and his sixth Race to Dubai Championship — the DP World Tour’s season-long prize — tying Seve Ballesteros’ report. He was reminded of that reality a couple of minutes later, as he stood for an interview with the DP World Tour’s broadcast staff, and as Rory tried to seek out the phrases to explain the depth and breadth of tying Ballesteros, he started to cry.

“Yeah, it’s actually cool,” he finally choked out. “I believe everybody is aware of what Seve means to European golf and to Ryder Cup gamers. Within the European Ryder Cup locker room, all we have now are quotes of Seve. We had a altering room with Seve’s shirt from ’95, the final Ryder Cup he performed. He means a lot to European golf and for me to be talked about in the identical breath, I’m very proud.”

It was maybe not a shock to see McIlroy emotional on this mild. He has lengthy held a deep reverence for golf historical past. Seeing his identify talked about subsequent to Ballesteros’ displays the gravity and totality of McIlroy’s achievements, and the historic orbit they’ve solid him upon.

However did McIlroy’s feelings converse to greater than merely a historic victory? In fact they did.

You don’t want a forensic information of golf historical past to grasp the tumult of the 12 months that McIlroy exited with a victory on Sunday. In some ways, the turbulence of McIlroy’s current historical past has come to mirror that {of professional} golf — a time of radical highs and lows, of deep wells of uncertainty and glimmers of hope. As McIlroy spoke post-round, the totality of all of it — the historic victory, the U.S. Open collapse, the private strife, the ever-so-close golf recreation — appeared to settle upon him.

“I believe what I’ve realized is it doesn’t must be necessary for everybody else,” McIlroy stated. “I believe what I did immediately may be very significant for me personally. I might assume from an outdoor perspective, it mightn’t be that significant if persons are simply wanting from the skin, by way of different issues that I’ve achieved within the recreation and issues that I didn’t obtain this 12 months. However simply because it perhaps isn’t as necessary to them doesn’t imply that it shouldn’t be as necessary to me.”

“Look, yeah, I understand how persons are going to view my 12 months and I view my 12 months equally,” he stated. “However on the identical time, I nonetheless have to recollect I received 4 occasions and I received a second Race to Dubai. I collected a whole lot of huge finishes and large performances, and the 2 guys that had higher years than me have had profession years. Xander received two majors, and Scottie has received a Gamers and a Masters and an Olympic Gold Medal. They’re the one two guys this 12 months that I believe which have had higher years than me.”

It will likely be straightforward for McIlroy’s critics to see Sunday’s end because the continuation of a tortured current aggressive life. Hell, he sees the overlaps too. This win wasn’t almost as traditionally important because the one which skittered away in Pinehurst, and his competitors wasn’t almost as fearsome. Nonetheless, he blinked down the stretch on Sunday in a lot the identical means. This one didn’t burn him, however had he defeated his demons, or just pushed them apart?

Both means, McIlroy won’t be pressured to reply these questions on Sunday. He ends 2024 with a four-win season he is aware of will all the time be remembered for the actual fact it was not 5, however he leaves Dubai with a victory — a historic victory — that could possibly be sufficient to drown the bitter style.

Quickly there shall be an offseason. And shortly after that, a brand-new 12 months brimming with risk. However now? Now there’s a motive to maintain shifting ahead.

What a reduction.

James Colgan

Golf.com Editor

James Colgan is a information and options editor at GOLF, writing tales for the web site and journal. He manages the Scorching Mic, GOLF’s media vertical, and makes use of his on-camera expertise throughout the model’s platforms. Previous to becoming a member of GOLF, James graduated from Syracuse College, throughout which era he was a caddie scholarship recipient (and astute looper) on Lengthy Island, the place he’s from. He might be reached at james.colgan@golf.com.