The DP World Tour has announced the creation of the Rory McIlroy Award to commemorate the Northern Irish golfer’s Grand Slam success.
The new award, which McIlroy is not eligible for, recognizes the best performance by a European athlete across that year’s Grand Slam tournaments.
Following his success at the Masters earlier this year, McIlroy became the sixth player and first European to complete a career Grand Slam.
The first winner of this award will be crowned at the 2026 British Open Championship.
McIlroy becomes the fifth player to win a European Tour award named after him, joining Seve Ballesteros, Harry Vardon, Sir Henry Cotton and John Jacobs.
“It’s a great honor and a very humbling feeling to have something named after me that will go to future generations of players,” McIlroy said.
“The DP World Tour was the starting point for my career so it certainly means a lot to me. I always loved playing there and of course I loved representing Europe and the Tour in the Ryder Cup.
“I am extremely proud to be the first European to complete a career Grand Slam. Majors represent the pinnacle of our sport and I hope my success can inspire other DP World Tour members to pursue and achieve their dreams for years to come.”
“I can’t wait to see who will be the first recipient of this new award in 2026. Presenting them with the trophy will be another very proud moment for me personally.”
Meanwhile, McIlroy believes his golf and personal well-being have improved by moving away from the sport’s involvement in politics.
At the height of his illness due to a fracture sustained during LIV Golf, the Northern Irishman became himself an unofficial spokesperson for the PGA Tour, answering questions about the Tour at every event and being involved in behind-the-scenes discussions as a member of the Tour’s policy committee.
However, McIlroy has regressed since stepping down in November 2023, having won seven championships, including the Masters, which competes in Grand Slam competitions.
“From a golf standpoint, being away from politics and being so involved has definitely made me happier from a golf standpoint,” McIlroy said.
“When I was on the board, I got tips and talked to people and got different opinions, but at the same time I felt like it was taking away some of the things I wanted to do in life.
“You can’t keep all the plates spinning at the same time and something had to give. If you look at my golf since then, it’s been pretty good.
“My mind is clear, I’m basically free from the politics of golf, I can just focus on playing, and I’m competitively satisfied by playing in the tournaments I want to play.
“And having more time away from golf to do what I want to do and make myself happy, travel with my family, and show my daughter different parts of the world is such a great place to be in life.”
McIlroy will be aiming for his fourth consecutive Race to Dubai title this week and his seventh medal of merit, moving him past Seve Ballesteros and just one behind Colin Montgomerie.
Marco Penge and Ryder Cup teammate Tyrrell Hatton are the only two players who can stop him in the DP World Tour Championship.
Despite being based in the US, McIlroy maintains strong ties to the DP World Tour, which he still considers ‘home’, and called on fellow players to ‘step up’ their support.
“Due to the volatile nature of the men’s professional game at the moment, we need all of our star players on this tour to step up and play in big events,” McIlroy added.
“I feel a huge responsibility to do that and try to make this tour as strong as possible.”
Another star player, Tommy Fleetwood, defended himself last week against accusations of gamesmanship.
The Southport golfer was criticized by TV commentators after making fellow Briton and eventual winner Aaron Lai wait on the teeing ground for a play-off at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
“I think it’s unfortunate. I want everyone to know that I wouldn’t do something like that, and I think Aaron’s world would as well,” he said.
“After the 18th, I really needed to go to the bathroom…I ran to the bathroom and ran to the teeing ground.”
DP World has extended its title sponsorship of the Tour until 2035.