Rory McIlroy admits his failure to end his decade-long major drought this year “stings”, but he still sees 2024 as a “successful season” as he bids to close out a sixth Race to Dubai title this week.

McIlroy competes in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, live on Sky Sports Golfstarting Thursday morning where he will aim to secure first place on the circuit for a third consecutive time.

A top-11 finish on Sunday will guarantee him the $2 million (£1,569,988) prize as Europe’s top golfer, regardless of the ranking of South African Thriston Lawrence, the only other player still in contention for the Race to Dubai.

McIlroy has won three tournaments this year – two on the PGA Tour and once on the DP World Tour, in Dubai in January – but a fifth major remained elusive after a agonizing one-shot loss to Bryson DeChambeau in the final round United States in June. Open amid a late collapse on the final holes.

Reflecting on his year overall, McIlroy said that while he may not have achieved all of his goals for 2024, he was still happy with how he played overall.

“Once again incredibly consistent. I’ve been really proud of that over the last few years,” he said at the pre-tournament press conference in Dubai on Wednesday.

“But at the same time I think about those who got away. I should be sitting here with a fifth major title and I’m not, so it stings and it’s something I’ve had to come to terms with. But at the same time, I have many more opportunities in the future.

“But I’ve really tried to focus on the positives this year, consistently performing at the highest level. You know, I have three more wins with an opportunity to get a fourth here this week, to win another title in the Race to Dubai.”

“Did I achieve all the goals I set for myself this year? Probably not, but I still consider it a successful season.”

Asked what grade he would give himself for 2024, the Northern Irishman replied: “It would be a pass. It wouldn’t be a pass with flying colors. Probably an eight.”

He is expected to finish the year third in the world golf rankings behind American duo Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele.

“You have two guys at the top of the world rankings, Xander who has won two majors, Scottie who has won a Masters, a Players and the Olympics. They have certainly separated themselves from the pack this year,” admitted McIlroy.

“I’m obviously very aware of that and it just motivates me more to try and emulate what they’ve done this year.”

McIlroy explains calendar plans for 2025

One day after The DP World Tour calendar for 2025 has been revealed, McIlroy was asked about his own plans for next year after learning he would play fewer tournaments after making 27 appearances around the world in 2024.

He said it would be his PGA Tour commitments – where he has played 19 times – that would likely be reduced slightly.

Regarding the DP World Tour, where he has competed in seven regular tournaments, McIlroy said: “It will look a lot like the future.

“I’ll usually start in the Middle East in Dubai and then I won’t really play here again until the Scottish Open (in July). So I’ll play that, it’s a tournament I enjoyed playing last . a few years, especially before the Open Championship.

“Then once the season is over in America, come back. Looking at the schedule, Irish Open, Wentworth, Dunhill, those two (Play-Off) events, it will be a lot like what I’ve always done.

“If anything, the schedule will be reduced in the United States as far as some of the tournaments I played this year that I don’t usually play, those are the ones I would cut out.”

Rory hopes for a “very cool” sixth place, equivalent to Seve

First, McIlroy will look to finish this year on a high note by winning the Race to Dubai in a tournament he has won twice on the Greg Norman-designed Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

“Coming here last year, I already had everything wrapped up, which was obviously very good, but at the same time, maybe I lacked a bit of motivation during the tournament because of that,” he said. he declared.

“So knowing that I still have to go out and play well based on what Thriston does, I think it gives me a little more motivation to stay a little more focused this week.”

McIlroy begins the week 1,785.02 points ahead of Lawrence, 27, who has recorded 10 top 10s this year, including a sixth-place finish in Abu Dhabi last week.

“He’s a pretty creative player. He plays a lot of different shots and he’s had a wonderful year,” McIlroy said.

“We had a good discussion last week about his plans for next year and obviously the PGA Tour card and his plans to make it work there as well.”

And if McIlroy wins his sixth Race to Dubai title on Sunday, he will tie the legendary Seve Ballesteros in the all-time rankings and be just two behind record eight-time winner Colin Montgomerie.

“I guess I’m a little too young to remember much of Seve’s career and everything he did. Seve is almost not a mythical character to me, but he was just a little ahead of my time,” he said.

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“But he was my father’s favorite player. The huge impact he had on European golf through the Ryder Cup and what he did for the European Tour, he means a lot to golf in general , but more particularly in this part of the world and on this tour.

“To be on par with him and have a career that can somewhat compare to his is very cool.”

Who will win the Race to Dubai? Watch the DP World Tour Championship this week live on Sky Sports Golf. Live coverage begins Thursday from 7am on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports Or stream the DP World Tour and more with NOW.