Rory McIlroy has won three times in 2024 – twice on the PGA Tour and once on the DP World Tour – but even though the majors are the currency on which a career like his is built, he still believes he has enough time left to elevate an otherwise average year beyond his expectations.
“I certainly don’t want to sit here and belittle my achievements and successes this year, but at the same time I expect a certain standard from myself,” he told the press in Memphis, where he is preparing for the first of three events in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoff series.
“Yes, I have won a few times. I have had a chance to win a few more times and never managed to do so. So I would have loved to add a few more to that win column.
“But as I said, there are still three tournaments left in this PGA TOUR season. I think I actually have eight or nine tournaments left this year, but three on the PGA TOUR to turn an okay season into a very good one.
“I feel maybe a little bit like I did the three years I won the FedExCup. In 2016 I think I came into the playoffs 36th and was able to win, but then in ’19 and ’22 I was a little further up and a little closer to the top.
“I think when the bulk of the season is over and you have those three weeks to rewrite the script a little bit or change the story and the meaning of the season, I think that’s a motivating factor and probably part of the reason why I’ve played well in the playoffs the last three years.”
The world number three returns to the PGA Tour after representing Ireland at the Paris Olympics, and although he had a good chance of winning a medal – even gold – on the back nine on Sunday but ended up in the water on hole 15 at Le Golf National, it is still a week he will look back on fondly.
“Amazing,” was his response when asked to sum up the experience. “I played in Tokyo with COVID and nobody was there and everything, so it was a different experience. But we played the practice rounds in France earlier in the week with no spectators just because they weren’t selling tickets for the practice rounds, and then you show up on Thursday and there are 30,000 people on the golf course. It was very cool.”
“I think playing in that atmosphere and environment, yes, I said that at the end of the tournament, I think the Olympics are going to become more and more important to golf as time goes on, 2028 in LA and 2032 in Brisbane, they’re going to become more and more important. Look at what Novak Djokovic said; he said winning that Olympic gold medal was the greatest sporting achievement of his career. I’m pretty sure that in 10 or 20 years, someone in the golf world will say that about an Olympic gold medal.”
While the FedEx Cup format, which culminates with a staggered ranking at the Tour Championship, continues to divide opinion among the media and golf fans, McIlroy himself is in favor of the format as he believes it offers the best chance of a dramatic final round at East Lake.
“I love this format because if it wasn’t this format, none of us would have a chance against Scottie because he’s so far ahead. So I really like this format,” he explained, adding: “Is it the fairest reflection of who the best player of the year was? Probably not. But I think at this point we’re not concerned with complete fairness, we’re concerned with entertainment and delivering the best product we can.”
“Yeah, the first year when it was the starting shots at the 2019 TOUR Championship, I was able to win that, and then again in 2022. I like this format. It kind of feels like it’s a bit of a reboot after the regular season. Not everyone is on the same level, but it feels a bit more like that.”
The debate between Scheffler and Xander Schauffele over who had the best season was a one-sided affair until the latter overtook the former in the most important season standings with his victory at Royal Troon. However, after Scheffler added the gold medal in Paris, there is no longer any debate for McIlroy about which season he would have preferred.
“Scottie’s,” was his quick reply. “I think winning the Masters, an Olympic gold medal, whatever it is, winning six times, that’s pretty hard to top.”
