Rory McIlroy was dealt his fair share of heartbreak during 2024, but the Northern Irishman’s successes have been recognised after being nominated for the Jack Nicklaus Award
Rory McIlroy has been nominated for the PGA Tour Player of The Year prize – also known as the Jack Nicklaus Award – alongside world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and two-time major champion Xander Schauffele.
McIlroy has been named alongside the players above him in the world rankings in Scheffler and Schauffele and will be hoping to win the prize named after the great Nicklaus for the fourth time after collecting it in 2012, 2014 and 2019. He does however face tough competition.
Scheffler continued to announce himself as the best player on the planet, winning a whopping seven times on Tour in 2024, including the Players Championship, the Masters and the Tour Championship.
He has however been pushed all the way at the top of the rankings by Schauffele, who finally enjoyed his breakthrough season on the manor championship stage. After winning his first major at the PGA Championship in May, he followed that up with another at The Open Championship in July.
When it comes to McIlroy though, many may look at what he failed to achieve rather than what he did achieve Stateside in 2024, especially on the major stage. The Northern Irishman endured a number of near-misses, no more so than at the US Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in June.
The 35-year-old finally looked set to end his wait for a fifth major title, after taking a two-shot lead with four holes to play in North Carolina. McIlroy struggled down the stretch though where he made three bogeys, allowing LIV Golf rival Bryson DeChambeau to swoop in and claim the prize.
Rory McIlroy missed out at the US Open ( Image: Getty Images)
It was a bitter pill to swallow for McIlroy, whose wait for another major crown will enter an 11th year in 2025. Despite the heartbreak it has still been an impressive year by the Northern Irishman, who has won twice on the PGA Tour at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside Shane Lowry and the Wells Fargo Championship.
Away from the PGA Tour, McIlroy’s year did end on a high on the DP World Tour earlier this month, clinching the Race to Dubai title for a sixth time at the season finale at the Earth Course. His victory took him alongside Seve Ballesteros in Order of Merit wins on the Wentworth-based circuit, giving the 35-year-old a happy ending to a tough year on and off the golf course.
“It means a lot. I’ve been through a lot this year. Professionally, personally, and it feels like the fitting end to 2024,” he said in Dubai “I’ve persevered this year a lot, had close calls, wasn’t able to get it done, so to be able to get over the line today… I got off to a great start and then didn’t have my best round, saving par on 15 was huge and then I had four great swings coming in. Really pleased with the way I finished and thankfully I hung on on a tough day.”
