World No.3 Rory McIlroy will tee it up at the Emirates Golf Club in January for the DP World Tour's Dubai Desert Classic, looking to make it three on the bounce and five overall in a tournament that has given him plenty of happy memories.
His first professional title came at the 2009 edition, when the bushy-haired teenager held his nerve to take the trophy by one shot.
The Northern Irishman started this year in fine form, reeling in Cameron Young and holding off Adrian Meronk down to the stretch to take the title by one stroke.
It made amends for the disappointment of losing out to Tommy Fleetwood at the previous week’s Dubai Invitational, and it all suggested another trophy-laden year lay in store for the Holywood star.
However, despite adding two more victories to his PGA Tour tally, 2024 has largely been a case of what might have been for the four-time Major winner.
After recording another second-place finish at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last month – his fourth of the season – McIlroy admitted to feeling a little frustrated.
“The game is testing me a little more than it has done in the past, but that's fine,” he said, after being edged out by Billy Horschel at the DP World Tour’s flagship event.
A week earlier he finished second at the Irish Open, and it’s been the story of his season – one that was so nearly a great one.
“This is a tournament I relish playing and continuing my run here by adding a fifth title would be really special and an ideal way to kick off 2025,” said McIlroy, who will be hoping that another win could pave the way for that long awaited fifth Major title.
McIlroy came agonisingly close to getting that monkey off his back at Pinehurst in June, but two missed putts from close range over the closing stages gifted the US Open title to Bryson DeChambeau.
Despite suffering his fair share of heartbreaks, McIlroy still won the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic and Wells Fargo Championship, and the comments he made after Wentworth suggest the 35-year-old is still optimistic about the future.
“It could have been a different year but the nice thing is there's next year and the year after and the year after and the year after,” said the World No.3.
“If you think of my career as a 30-year journey, it's only one year in a 30-year journey, and hopefully the other 29 are a little more productive or a little bit better.”
