Rory McIlroy joked he’s heading into his Christmas/New Year break looking for a ‘brain transplant’ after ending his year well down the board at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
McIlroy was clearly in a ‘glad the season is over’ mood in posting a final round 73 for an eight-under par tally for a distant share of 21st place in the year-ending European Tour event at Jumeirah Estates.
If left McIlroy trailing 10 shots behind England’s Danny Williett who ended a 953-day winless drought since capturing the 2016 Masters in shooting a closing round 68 for an 18-under par tally.
The duo of England’s Matt Wallace (68) and American Patrick Reed (70) shared second place at 16-under par.
Rory McIlroy looking forward now after 27 events in 2019 to taking a long break (Photo @tourmiss)
Afer winning the European No. 1 crown in 2012 and again in 2014 and 2015, McIlroy closed his 2019 career chapter finishing seventh on the money list.
“I mean it is disappointing over the weekend only to shoot even par when I put myself in a good position,” he said.
“I shot eight-under the first two days and if I had of shot eight-under the next two, I would have been in a with a real chance of winning.
“It was just not great.”
The result ended a disappointing season for McIlroy having won early in the year in capturing the Arnold Palmer Invitational but then letting slip victory in the remaining Major he needs to capture to join the ‘Grand Slam Club’.
McIlroy fell into joint second at The Open but in his remaing handful of events managed to break 70 in just two of his past dozen rounds, and those were a 69 and 67 in Dubai.
“There has been very fine margins between shooting 71 yesterday and turning that into a 67 and then all of a sudden you in the final couple of groups, and you’re looking at a chance,” he said.
“The margins are so slim and this year I’ve just been on the wrong side of it but there’s been a lot of good in there. There’s been a lot consistent golf and I just haven’t turned some good opportunities into wins.
The photograph seems to say it all after McIlroy’s end to his season in Dubai. (Photo @tourmiss)
“Another year it could have been a different story and all of s sudden you have four or five wins and you are feeling really good about yourself.
“I have just got to keep doing what I have been doing and working on the right things. I have a few technical things to work on over the off-season and hopefully come back and start the season off on a poisitive note.”
McIlroy was asked if he needed to also work over the Christmas/New Year break on his mental outlook and laughed in responding: “After this season what I need is a brain transplant”.
McIlroy indicated he will spend the off-season tinkering on his game while he’s to be ‘Best Man’ at Harry Diamond’s, and his caddys wedding on December 8th at Gleneagles in Scotland.
The McIlroy’s have also been invited to the wedding of the European Tour’s first Mr. 59 Ollie Fisher at The Renaissance Club also next month.
“Yes, I’m best man at Harry’s wedding as he was my Best Man and we’re attending Ollie’s wedding and with both the next two weeks so I am going to go and work on my speeches,” he said also smiling.
Given the lateness in the UAE, McIlroy had missed the historic Ireland 16-9 vicory over the All Blacks but was naturally delighted with the result.
“I was asleep and fell asleep 15-minutes into the Scotland-v- South Africa game,” he said.
“It sounded like it was a crackin’ match in reading the reports this morning”,
And McIlroy was also delighted for Ryder Cup winning colleague, Francesco Molinari and the new European Tour No. 1 who also becomes the first Italian-born player to win he title.
“Francesco has been incredible and I have been on the receiving end of it at couple of times this year, at The Open and at Wentworth,” said McIlroy.
“Then at the Ryder Cup he was incredible. He’s been great. He’s the ultimate pro. He does everything the right way. He practices hard. He does the right things and he’s really concentrated a lot on the physical side like his diet and all that stuff.
“He’s, like I said, the ultimate pro. I always thought he may be capable of something like this as anytime I’ve played with him I didn’t know why he wasn’t winning more but he put it all together this year and he was very impressive.”
McIlroy was also pleased to learn Mexican and Texas-based Abraham Ancer won the Australian Open to become the first non-Australian since McIlroy’s success in 2013 to be presented with the Stonehaven Trophy.
“I didn’t meet him to this year and it’s great he and I now have our names on the Aussie Open trophy, so good for him,” said McIlroy.
As for Christmas?
“I’ll be in upper New York State with the in-laws,” he said.
