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Rory McIlroy is already in Dubai, UAE, home of the DP World Tour Championship. It is the last event of the European Tour season, and the Northern Irishman sees it as a good moment to evaluate his own performance during this period.
Although he has had good results this season, it is clear that Rory McIlroy expected much more from himself. In an exchange with the press this Tuesday, McIlroy expressed that he would give his season a "7 out of 10".
These were part of his words according to the DP World Tour news service:
"I've had a good year, I don't feel like I've had a great year, but I can still go ahead and achieve things like this [his Race to Dubai victory]... Probably give it [his season] a 7 out of 10. Played good golf. I had the two wins. I had my best-ever Ryder Cup, which feels like a win to me, especially coming off the back of Whistling Straits."
Rory McIlroy pointed to his two PGA Tour victories this season (the 2022 THE CJ CUP in South Carolina and the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open), but he also won the 2023 Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour.
Similarly, Rory McIlroy had a season of 13 top 10s (including his two victories) and only two missed cuts on the PGA Tour. His three top 7s in Majors stand out, including a runner-up finish at the US Open, where he lost by just one stroke.
As if that were not enough, Rory McIlroy posted 10 consecutive top 10s between May and August. He started with a T7 at the PGA Championship and finished with a T4 at the TOUR Championship.
What was missing from Rory McIlroy's 2022-23 season?
Rory McIlroy also reflected on what he considers his regrets for the season. Winning a Major is at the top of his list, especially after coming so close at the U.S. Open.
Here's how he put it:
"I've been happy with the year. If I looked back on one thing, I'll rue that miss at L.A. [the US Open]. I had a great opportunity there to pick up another major and I didn't. But I'm still not going to let that take away from the fact that it's been another really consistent, solid year with some really good performances."
When asked by a reporter, the Northern Irishman also reflected on the TGL League. Specifically, he commented about what's new that the tech-based league brings to the world of golf.
Here is what he had to say:
"Bringing to the party younger people, hopefully. That's the future of our game, is trying to get the younger generations involved and trying to have them somehow related to our game in some way."
He added:
"[TGL is] trying to put golf on a slightly different platform... it is a game to be played outdoors and on golf courses and in the fresh air but I think there's a place for it to at least get people excited about maybe watching a different version of the game that they can relate to and and if that gets their foot in the door in some way, then that's a really good thing."
Rory McIlroy won the Race to Dubai 2023, by more than 2,000 points ahead of second-place Jon Rahm. It is his fifth such victory, which places him third among the top all-time winners list. He is one win away from matching Seve Ballesteros and three behind leader Colin Montgomery.
