Rory McIlroy feels he has a “responsibility” to prioritize the DP World Tour in a “broken” men’s game and believes stepping away from his involvement in the sport’s politics has improved his life both on and off the course.
McIlroy arrives at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship with a commanding lead at the top of the standings, leaving the world No.2 closing in on a seventh Race to Dubai title and a fourth in as many years.
The 36-year-old won the PGA Tour’s FedExCup three times between his third Race to Dubai title in 2015 and his fourth in 2022, with McIlroy since enjoying regular success on the DP World Tour as he looks to further close Colin Montgomery’s record of eight Order of Merits.
“There is a wonderful heritage in this [DP World] tour,” McIlroy said ahead of the DP World Tour Championship. “I think with the fractured nature of the professional men’s game at the moment, this tour needs all its stars to step up and play in the big events.
“I understand that I’m one of those people and I’m going to do my utmost to help in any way that I can. I feel a great responsibility to do that and to try to make this tour as strong as it can possibly be. I think that’s part of it.
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See McIlroy’s best shots from his five major wins, including shots from his victory at Augusta National
“The other part is I enjoy it. I enjoy the places we play, the people who play [DP World] Tour, the people who work on the Tour. We’ve shared a lot of great moments from Ryder Cups together and great times and it just feels a lot more like home.”
McIlroy ended an 11-year wait for a fifth major title and completed the career Grand Slam with victory at The Masters in April, with the DP World Tour since recognizing his achievement by naming an award after him.
The Northern Irishman also won the Amgen Irish Open on home soil and was part of Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup team during a memorable campaign that also saw him win twice on the PGA Tour, with McIlroy relishing no longer having the burden of chasing the Grand Slam or behind-the-scenes discussions about the sport.
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McIlroy reflects on Team Europe’s victory at this year’s Ryder Cup and his performance so far in 2025
“The [desire] is definitely not gone, but I think it’s just one of those things where I’m not going to have to pick and choose where to put my desire and what I want my goals to be,” McIlroy added. “I’m definitely not less driven, but maybe just more driven in focused areas.
“I don’t want to chase that much anymore. I’m not out chasing the Grand Slam. I’m not chasing these things. I’m very happy with what I’ve done in the game. I’m still driven to do more, but you know, it’s kind of pinpointed to drive in certain directions.
“I have a clear head and I’m basically out of all the politics of golf and I can just focus on playing and playing where I want to and making myself competitively happy playing in the tournaments I want to play.
“So having more time to make myself personally happy to do the things I want to do away from golf, to travel with my family and show my daughter different parts of the world and do things like that is a very nice place to be in life.”
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McIlroy’s best shot from his historic 2025 Masters victory at Augusta National
Can McIlroy complete ‘fantastic’ success?
McIlroy heads into the season finale with a 767-point advantage over Marco Penge and a 1,720-point cushion over Tyrrell Hatton in the Race to Dubai rankings, with the two Englishmen the only other players who could still overtake him as European No.1.
“Going from six to seven [order of merits]to go one past Seve [Ballesteros] would be great,” McIlroy added. “Getting one closer to Monty [Colin Montgomerie] would be fantastic.
“When I say I’m not chasing anything, I think if I focused my energy on certain tournaments and try to play well in certain tournaments, the Race to Dubai almost takes care of itself.
“Hopefully these season-long awards are something that just come because you’ve won some big tournaments along the way. I guess you could say I’m still chasing it, but I think it’s just more of a byproduct of playing the good golf that I know I can.”
Can Rory McIlroy win the Race to Dubai again? Watch the DP World Tour Championship live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Thursday from 07.00 on Sky Sports Golf. Stream DP World Tour and more without a contract.