DP World Tour should be grateful for Rory McIlroy – on and off the course

Unlike some of his peers, McIlroy’s commitment and respect to the Tour is admirable

The consensus here in Dubai is that Thriston Lawrence should be thanked for having the chutzpah to hole that 35-footer for birdie on the 18th on Sunday to keep the Order of Merit battle alive for this week’s DP World Tour season-ender.
Yet, in truth, there is only one person to whom the golfers, organisers and sponsors should be bowing down in gratitude – Rory McIlroy.
But for him, this $10 million tournament would have a lack of glamour and drawing power that would not begin to justify the prize fund.
But for him, the Harry Vardon Trophy would not seem so nearly as prestigious as its history and list of champions deserves.
But for him, the “European” circuit would not have a sporting superstar making the case for a Tour in danger of being overlooked amid these current epoch-defining merger negotiations.
And but for him, the Americans and Saudis would not have been analysing the action at the Earth Course and being persuaded that this is a spectacle warranting a place in whatever guise the golf’s new world order might take.
Certainly, McIlroy’s presence should not be taken for granted. He did not have to make the 8,000-mile trip from Florida to the United Arab Emirates for the final fortnight of his home tour’s season. Granted, McIlroy has the use of a private jet, but so, too, does Jon Rahm and the Spaniard has not bothered, despite declaring at this tournament a year ago, “I love this event and this course and will always make the effort to play here”.
Alas, not this time, despite being eligible and despite his diary being free. Fair enough, Rahm’s wife gave birth two months ago, but he did fly from Scottsdale to Madrid a few days after his third child had arrived to play in the Spanish Open, followed by the Dunhill Links and then, two weeks later, the Andalusia Masters.
Rahm was obliged to appear in all three, because, after playing in the Olympics, he needed to reach the minimum of four DP World Tour events to stay a member and thus avoid exclusion from next year’s Ryder Cup.
Of course, he could also have teed it up this week, but he opted not to. Only he and his team know exactly why. However, it is fair to say the Tour are not impressed, especially after bending over backwards to help him keep his card. Neither are the rewards unsubstantial. The DP World Tour Championship’s first prize is $3 million, but maybe that does not cut it when you can win $4 million in each of the LIV 54-holers. Rahm is presumably happy in doing the minimum.
McIlroy could have taken that attitude, too. He fulfilled his quota at the Olympics in August and the opportunity was there for the protracted break which he craves. He told me last week, “I’d love to have a proper off-season of three months or something”.
He felt a duty to play in the Irish Open and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in September, but could even have shut down after last month’s Dunhill Links and still been odds-on to win a sixth Order of Merit trophy.
If McIlroy had skipped this concluding fortnight, his lead was so substantial that even after his tie for sixth in Abu Dhabi, Lawrence would still have required a top three here to have leapfrogged the absent Ulsterman. Yet McIlroy committed and came in a tie for third and Lawrence now needs to win and for the pacesetter to finish outside the top 11.
Ambition and loyalty have spurred McIlroy on. Ambition, because just like three more majors would mean he would boast seven to Sir Nick Faldo’s six, four more Order of Merits would haul him to nine over Colin Montgomerie’s eight. “I would like to go down as the most successful European of all time,” he said. “And although majors are obviously the decisive factor in that, the number of Race to Dubai wins count to that as well.
“I’m going for my third in a row this year and trying to get to six and go above Seve [Ballesteros, who won five Order of Merits] because I think that would be a really meaningful thing to achieve.”
The Tour is blessed that McIlroy thinks this is worth the bother because there are other big names – and not just Rahm – who clearly do not hold the honour in such esteem. Only six of the last European Ryder Cup team are in this field of 50 and that is a statistic Wentworth HQ will be praying is a blip. There were 10 of that side here 12 months ago.
There is a $2 million bonus for Sunday’s Race to Dubai champion, but if you suspect that to be McIlroy’s primary motivation then you have as little idea of his wealth as you do of what drives this 35-year-old.
The fact is because McIlroy believes there is kudos in lifting the Harry Vardon, then there is kudos in lifting the Harry Vardon Trophy. On so many levels, the DP World Tour is very lucky to have him and, in terms of the bigger picture, his loyalty and patronage as well.