Rory McIlroy: DP World Tour needs European support amid LIV threat to golf

Nine of the 12 European Ryder Cup winning teams are competing on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates this week. LIV’s Jon Rahm and Norwegian Viktor Hovland are notable absentees.

Austrian Sepp Straka was given permission to stay away due to his desire to be with his family following the premature birth of his son before the Ryder Cup.

McIlroy is on course to win the Race to Dubai having competed in 10 events, four of which are Grand Slams; Masters, US PGA, US Open and The Open.

If he finishes in the top two at the end of the season, the 36-year-old cannot be caught. Penge, who has played 25 tournaments counting, must be tied for second or better to have any chance at winning the title.

If the 27-year-old Englishman wins, McIlroy will still need to finish lower than runner-up, and if Ping shares second place, his rival will have to finish outside the top eight.

Hatton, who is third in the standings, is the only other potential winner of the season-long title. The Buckinghamshire star must win this week with McIlroy finishing outside the top eight and Ping losing a share of second place.

So the potential permutations point to another ‘Race to Dubai’ title for McIlroy, which would be his fourth consecutive success.

“I wanted to make it a priority again,” McIlroy said.

“If you look at my third Race to Dubai title in 2015, there’s a big gap, but in that gap, I’ve won three FedExCup titles. [on the PGA Tour].

“It was like I prioritized the other side of the pond a little bit. I think after Covid I said ‘Okay, what are some things I want to do over the next 10, 15 years of my career’, and it was one of those things trying to prioritize this tour again a little bit.”

Since missing out on qualifying for the 2021 Masters, McIlroy has recorded 11 top-eight finishes at majors, including his impressive Grand Slam victory at Augusta last April.

He admits that performances in those tournaments have greatly helped his current successes in Race to Dubai.

“This has coincided with better play in the major tournaments,” he said.

“Because as a doubles member on both tours, to have a chance to win, you really need to play well in those bigger events.”

The record holder, Montgomery, who won seven consecutive Orders of Merit from 1993-99 and an eighth in 2005, did so with relentless control on what was then known as the European Tour.

A lot has changed since then – and not just the arrival of the Wentworth-based organisation’s main sponsor. However, McIlroy believes the Scot’s record is undervalued.

“I think it’s amazing that we’ve maintained this consistent excellence for so long,” the Northern Irishman said. “There are a lot of people who can have a good year or two.

“But to maintain that for seven years in a row, it probably doesn’t get talked about enough.

“Especially in this golden age of European golf where he will be facing [Sir Nick] Faldo W [Sandy] Lyle, [Bernhard] Langer and Wusi [Ian Woosnam].

“I’m not saying this generation isn’t good too, but they’ve had to fight off some really tough competition.”