McIlroy aims to reach the level of Scheffler and Schauffele as 2025 targets pile up

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The 2025 goals are piling up for Rory McIlroy.

Ending his drought in the majors dating back to 2014 is at the forefront of his mind. There’s also the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, where McIlroy will be the heartbeat of the European team looking for a rare away win in one of the biggest sporting events.

Now add to that his quest to reach the level set by today’s two best golfers: Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele.

“They’ve definitely separated themselves from the rest this year,” the No. 3-ranked McIlroy said in Dubai on Wednesday. “I’m obviously very aware of that, and it just makes me more motivated to try to emulate what they did this year.”

Scheffler won the Masters, and much more. Schauffele won the PGA Championship and the British Open. McIlroy could – perhaps should – have won the year’s other major, the US Open, but lost two of the last three holes by three putts and lost by one stroke to Bryson DeChambeau.

So McIlroy remains at four major titles – he has been at that number for ten years – and that is painful for him, even if he is proud of his performances over the remainder of a season that could end in the league on Sunday. World Championship Tour winning the European tour’s Race to Dubai title.

“Unbelievably consistent again,” he said of his 2024. “I think I’ve been very proud of that over the last few years. But at the same time you think about those who escaped. I could be sitting here with a fifth major title, but that’s not the case.

“So that stings and that’s something I have to come to terms with, but at the same time I have a lot more opportunities in the future.”

McIlroy goes into the season-ending event on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates with a huge lead in the Race to Dubai standings over second-place Thriston Lawrence, the only other player in contention for the title.

A top 10 finish in the 50-man field guarantees McIlroy is the best player in European golf for the sixth time, drawing him level with the late Seve Ballesteros and putting him two behind Colin Montgomerie’s record. Lawrence needs to win and needs McIlroy to finish in a tie for 11th or lower.

The older McIlroy gets – he is now 35 – the more he appreciates being considered a standard-bearer on the European tour.

“I probably didn’t prioritize it for a few years, and I think I’m maybe a little bit closer to Monty than I am now, but it’s something that I really wanted,” he said. “It’s a huge honor… every time I come back and play on this tour, I’m proud to be a member, and I’m proud to support as many as I can.”

For that reason, McIlroy is planning a similar schedule for European tour events in 2025 as this year: starting in Dubai, playing the Scottish Open, Irish Open, the PGA Championship and the Dunhill Links Championship, and then the season-ending tournaments. in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

That means events in the United States will take a hit as McIlroy looks to cut his schedule from 27 to 22 or 23.

“I’m knocking a bit – I’ve got the gray hair to prove it,” he said. “I’m not slowing down at all, but I just have to take care of myself and take care of my body a little bit more.”

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