Breakfast Ball #45: McIlroy's Turbulent 2024 Comes to a Successful Close

While you may not think there is much golf news out there as the evenings get shorter and the first frost sets in, the end of the 2024 major tour season brought plenty last week. So much so that I was a day late sending out the newsletter this week! I should probably blame Saturday’s mojitos instead, however…

In This Week’s Newsletter:

Rory McIlroy Continues his European Domination with a Sixth Road to Dubai Title

2024 marked one of the most tumultuous years of Rory McIlroy's career, as the Northern Irishman found himself in the spotlight both on and off the course. His crushing defeat at the US Open stands as the most devastating loss of his professional life, while personal challenges tested his resilience in ways few athletes could withstand. Despite these obstacles, McIlroy maintained an ambitious schedule, making 27 tournament starts—his highest total since 2010.

Critics often point to McIlroy's major performances as evidence of unfulfilled potential, an argument that carries some merit. Yet his remarkable consistency over the past decade remains unmatched in professional golf.

McIlroy extended his consistent streak with victory at the DP World Tour Championship. Tied with Rasmus Højgaard heading into the final three holes on Sunday, McIlroy faced a familiar scenario—the Dane had beaten him in an identical situation at the Irish Open two months prior. This time, McIlroy refused to let history repeat itself.

From 137 yards on the 16th, McIlroy's wedge landed just 18 inches from the pin for birdie. He sealed his victory with another birdie at the last, clinching a two-shot triumph. The emotion overtook him on the final green as his wife and daughter rushed to embrace him in celebration.

'It means a lot. I've been through a lot this year professionally, personally,' a tearful McIlroy told Sky Sports. 'It feels like the fitting end to 2024. I've persevered this year a lot.'

This was his sixth Road to Dubai title, tying European great Seve Ballesteros. “I think everyone knows what Seve means to European golf and to Ryder Cup players,” McIlroy said. “(In the) European Ryder Cup locker room, all we have are quotes of Seve. We had a changing room with Seve’s shirt from ‘95, the last Ryder Cup he played,” he continued, wiping away tears. “For me to be mentioned in the same breath, I’m very proud.

McIlroy will ultimately view 2024 through one of two lenses: either as a pivotal year of self-discovery, where stepping back from his role as the PGA Tour's unofficial spokesman and enduring his most crushing defeat sparked profound personal growth, or as the moment when doubt took root, forever shadowing his pursuit of that elusive fifth major championship.

Ryder Cup News Updates: Garcia retains DPWT membership and will be eligible for selection, while reports suggest US team will be paid for participation

Sergio Garcia has revived his hopes of playing in the 2025 Ryder Cup after re-applying for his DP World Tour membership, according to Bunkered. The Spaniard has paid all fines associated with his move to LIV Golf and will serve a suspension before he can play another DPWT event. This is a significant move that has been in the works for a couple of months after captain Luke Donald said that he had been in contact with Garcia.

Sergio is the all-time leading European points scorer at the Ryder Cup, and is currently 22nd in the DataGolf Rankings and 19th in the Universal Golf Rankings, two alternatives to the Official World Golf Ranking that does not grant points for LIV Golf events.

Captain Luke Donald's recent comments about Garcia's potential return to Team Europe now seem prescient. The DP World Tour has established as the sole battleground—outside the majors—where elite European players from both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf can compete head-to-head. That is likely where the future of the tour lies, and they are taking full advantage of it.

When Patrick Cantlay arrived on the first tee alongside Wyndham Clark for his match against Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick, some of the patrons were surprised he was not wearing a hat. It was a hot day in the outskirts of Rome, and it was Cantlay’s third match in four sessions. Then, a story emerged claiming Cantlay was protesting the fact that the players do not get paid in the Ryder Cup by removing his hat. It looks like Patrick Cantlay is getting his way.

Each team USA player will reportedly be paid $400K for their participation in the 2025 Ryder Cup. After learning of the direction the US team was headed, the Europeans got together to decide if they would pursue a similar path. Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald, and Shane Lowry all publicly stated that the team will not be getting paid.

"That $5 million would be better off spent elsewhere on the DP World Tour to support other events or even to support The Challenge Tour," McIlroy said. "I think we would all welcome money if it didn't change the dynamic, but the money really would change the dynamic. That's why I think everyone is like -- let's not do that."

This news comes the same week that Ryder Cup ticket prices soared above $1,000 on resale markets after the initial allocation sold out immediately. The face value of the tickets was over $700 for one of the three days of play at Bethpage Black.

Other News and Results

• 🇮🇹 Former Ryder Cup player Edoardo Molinari won the DP World Tour Q-School competition to regain his spot on tour

  • Luke Donald’s vice captain in Rome shot 29-under over six rounds to win the tournament by one and take one of the 20 cards on offer to players

• 👶 Rafa Campos won the Bermuda Championship on the PGA Tour just six days after the birth of his first child, becoming the second ever Puerto Rican to win on the PGA Tour

  • 🇧🇪 Adrien Dumont de Chassard was the best of the Europeans, finishing in T3 for his best result on the PGA Tour in his rookie season

  • Sitting 17 spots outside the crucial top 125 in 142nd place, the Belgian needs a strong showing at 2024's PGA Tour finale to reclaim his full playing privileges

Coming up this week on Tour

• The final event of the 2024 PGA Tour season will determine the top 125 players that will retain their PGA Tour cards for 2025

  • 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 David Skinns (120th), 🇫🇮 Sami Valimaki (121st), 🇸🇪 Henrik Norlander (126th), and 🇧🇪 Adrien Dumont de Chassard (142nd) will all be fighting for their PGA Tour lives

If you have any feedback for the newsletter or would like to get in touch, I would love to hear from you! Email [email protected] or message us on Twitter/X at @BlueHorizonGolf. Thank you for reading!