Despite the prevailing belief that Rory McIlroy seems to have lost his touch, this is far from the truth. Having acquired three victories this season already, McIlroy’s performance appears controversial due to his high-profile near misses that haunted him during the summer and fall season.
The majority of professional golfers on both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour would regard a season with three wins as a remarkable achievement. For many, it would differentiate the season from their previous ones. However, in the case of McIlroy, this trilogy of triumphs fails to meet the expectations held of him.
During 2024, McIlroy took home the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic trophy, the Zurich Classic alongside Shane Lowry, and the Wells Fargo Championship’s title on the PGA Tour. Each of these victories signifies a significant accomplishment in isolation. But collectively, they represent an outstanding assemblage of silverware.
Yet, McIlroy’s season has been defined by his narrowly missed victories and intense, dramatic moments. For instance, during the Dubai Invitational in January, he was leading on the final hole but lost to Tommy Fleetwood after hitting his drive into the water. He overcame this setback by winning the Dubai Desert Classic the subsequent week, but a series of close calls haunted him from the US Open at Pinehurst, through the Olympics in Paris, and on to the Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down. The most recent disappointment came at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, time and again finding himself the unfortunate victim of circumstances, as if a curse that began at Pinehurst trailed him relentlessly.
In conclusion, while his three victories in the major tournaments of 2024 are an achievement, the Northern Irish golfer’s season has been marred by a series of near misses and dramatic, controversial moments, raising questions over his performance and overshadowing his wins.
After a decade since securing any of his four Major career titles, it seemed like McIlroy would finally break his dry spell. Sadly, instead, it was Bryson DeChambeau who emerged victorious from the sandhills with the US Open trophy. With a sturdy lead by two with just five holes remaining, it appeared that McIlroy’s long-awaited triumph was knocking at the door. However, the old wounds were ripped open once more in a disappointing turn of events.
The final set of holes saw a reemergence of old struggles for McIlroy. He lost his grip to the green on the par 3 15th, his 7-iron shot running long and landing in a barren area. Despite his successful chip to just a little over 30 feet, he was unable to secure the par putt. Remarkably, he sustained the lead until a two-and-a-half feet miss on the 16th hole – his first miss within five feet throughout the tournament – resulting in a three-putt bogey. Eventually, on the 18th, after another wild drive and a short recovery, McIlroy’s attempt from just shy of four feet went in vain – his third bogey in four holes.
Ultimately, it was DeChambeau (whose yardage book bears his initials, B.A.D.) who beat McIlroy by a single point, making a remarkable par save that will be remembered for years. As per Nick Faldo, McIlroy’s surprising collapse is likely to linger in his memory.
Following the tournament, and evidently disappointed, McIlroy left Pinehurst prior to DeChambeau’s trophy ceremony and refrained from speaking to the media.
Around the same time at the Olympic Games in Paris, McIlroy was in striking distance after a great start of the final round, trailing the leaders by just four shots. A spectacular streak of five consecutive birdies propelled him to tie for third as he reached the 15th tee of the par 4. Oozing confidence, he aimed for a sixth straight birdie. Sadly, his 140 yards approach to the flag, nestled towards the front of a water-guarded green, ended up costing him dearly.
McIlroy’s bid for a medal was halted by an unfortunate shot that found the water, bringing his streak of five birdies to an abupt end. His resulting penalty drop and subsequent 40-foot shot led to a double bogey, eliminating any chances of securing a medal. He concluded the competition two strokes behind bronze winner Hideki Matsuyama.
Following the event, McIlroy, referred to himself as golf’s ‘Nearly Man’ over the recent years, and expressed his yearning to change this with turning his near victories into actual wins. He stated his need to pass the threshold from ‘just missing’ to achieving winning results.
In the Amgen Irish Open held at Royal County Down (September), McIlroy almost clinched his second-ever Irish Open title – something no Irish player has done since Harry Bradshaw in 1949. Going into the final round with the solo lead, he managed to stretch his advantage to four strokes by the completion of the fourth green. However, destiny had a different plan.
Danish player Rasmus Hojgaard produced an impressive nine-hole run that included a chip-in birdie from a sand hill on the 10th hole. A greenside bunker birdie on the 17th saw him finish in 31 strokes. Meanwhile, McIlroy saw his hopes diminish after a drop shot on the 15th and a bogey on the 17th hole – after a three-putt. To tie with Hojgaard, he needed an eagle on the final hole, the par 5 18th.
Despite his bogey on the previous hole, the Irish golfer rose to the challenge with an impeccable drive splitting the fairway bunkers and a 7-iron shot from 191 yards that landed just 10 feet from the pin. But his eagle putt attempt came up short. McIlroy unfortunatley ended up as the runner-up once again.
However, McIlroy maintained that he didn’t feel like he had lost the tournament, but rather Hojgaard had truly won it. The saga of ‘the Nearly Man’ played out again in the BMW PGA Championship.
In September at Wentworth, McIlroy was presented with a golden chance to take home the DP World Tour’s crown jewel event for a second time, his first victory having come in 2014. He grabbed an eagle on the 17th hole of the regular round, setting the stage for potential victory.
However, despite being perfectly set up to take the triumph with a birdie on the final par 5 18th hole, McIlroy fell short. His putt didn’t make the mark, finishing on the low side, while his co-player, Billy Horschel, managed a successful birdie finish. This resulted in a three-way tie, along with Thriston Lawrence. Lawrence, however, was out at the first hole during the sudden-death playoff round.
Following this, both Horschel and McIlroy delivered brilliant approach shots on the 18th, each with a chance for an eagle putt. McIlroy stumbled again, missing the shot, while Horschel made it.
“Such outcomes are part of the game. I feel like it’s challenging me a bit more than usual, which is alright. I can only carry on, strive to play the golf I have been playing and sooner or later, there will be a win,” commented a hopeful McIlroy.