As the 2024 season comes to an end, it’s safe to say that it’s been a rather dramatic year, particularly for four-time Major winner, Rory McIlroy.
Producing four victories worldwide, as well as a number of close calls (we’ll get to them), McIlroy’s season wouldn’t look out of place in terms of the career of most professionals. However, such is the quality the 35-year-old possesses, some are claiming that his 2024 was a flop, having gone an 11th straight year without a Major title.
There’s no denying that the season will be remembered for his US Open collapse at Pinehurst, where the 35-year-old missed short putts on the 70th and 72nd hole to lose by one to Bryson DeChambeau.
However, McIlroy did go on to win a sixth European Tour Order of Merit title at the end of November, along with a number of big events like the Wells Fargo Championship and Dubai Desert Classic.
So, how would we rate McIlroy’s 2024? Well, four of our writers have put pen to paper to discuss…
Nick Bonfield
McILROY SEASON RATING – 7/10
In my view, any season Rory McIlroy completes without winning a Major is capped at 7/10. It’s been a good 2024 on the whole for the Northern Irishman, but will he be disappointed with it? Of course he will.
He’s quite rightly defined by his success in the Majors – both internally and externally – given all he’s achieved, and it’s now 10 years since his victory in the PGA Championship, his last Major triumph. He doesn’t need me to tell him that isn’t good enough for a player of his calibre. Would it shock me if Rory never won another Major? No, it wouldn’t. I fully expect him to, but I don’t think it’s a nailed-on guarantee anymore with all the scar tissue.
I thought losing out to Wyndham Clark in the 2023 US Open would take some getting over, but it was trumped by this year’s event at Pinehurst, where he missed two three-footers over the last three holes. The putt on 18 was tricky, but his miss on 16 was inexcusable. However, he’s now tied Seve Ballesteros on six Race to Dubai titles and he deserves credit for his commitment to the DP World Tour.
He won twice in Dubai, at either end of the year, reigned supreme with Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and added his obligatory victory at Quail Hollow. That said, he lost out painfully at the…
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