Rory McIlroy has won the Seve Ballesteros Award for a fourth time after being voted the DP World Tour’s Player of the Year for his 2024 season.
McIlroy successfully defended his Hero Dubai Desert Classic title and won the season-ending DP World Tour Championship during another consistent season, where he recorded seven top-five finishes in addition to his two wins.
The 35-year-old’s year saw him win the Race to Dubai and register a sixth Harry Vardon Trophy, leaving him just two behind Colin Montgomerie’s record of eight Order of Merit titles, with McIlroy voted Player of the Year by fellow DP World Tour members.
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Highlights from the final round of the DP World Tour Championship at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai
McIlroy earned 46 per cent of the votes, with Amgen Irish Open champion Rasmus Højgaard taking second place and Thriston Lawrence third, while Ballesteros’ son Javier presented him with the trophy ahead of his Dubai Desert Classic title defence, live on Sky Sports Golf.
“The Seve Ballesteros Award is special because it’s voted on by your peers,” McIlroy said. “They are the ones that have been out there on the course with you week-in, week-out, playing the same golf courses, competing. So to get their vote is very meaningful.
Javier Ballesteros, Seve Ballesteros’ son, presented Rory McIlroy with his award ahead of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic
“I said to Javier [Ballesteros], the legacy that his dad left on not just European golf but global golf will live on forever. Our whole motivation that we rally around on the Ryder Cup team is Seve, and we feel like we have an advantage because of that.”
McIlroy finished second at the Dubai Invitational, US Open, Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship during the season, with McIlroy also posting top-fives at the Genesis Scottish Open, Olympics and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
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Rory McIlroy came close to winning the Dubai Invitational, the US Open, the Irish Open and the BMW PGA Championship, but he ultimately fell just short in all four tournaments
“It’s special for me, my brother and sister to have the Player of the Year Award named after my dad, and it’s obviously special to present it to Rory,” Javier Ballesteros said. “I think he’s one of the best players of all-time in global golf.
“I told him when I presented him the trophy it was special to watch him at home win his sixth Race to Dubai title, and to speak the way he did about my dad after. I had a few tears in my eyes seeing him.”
The former world No 1 has previously been voted the Player of the Year in 2012, 2014 and 2015, with the award incorporating the former Golfer of the Year Award after the two accolades were combined in 2021 to become a single honour.
“It’s special for me, my brother and sister to have the Player of the Year Award named after my dad, and it’s obviously special to present it to Rory,” Javier Ballesteros said. “I think he’s one of the best players of all time in global golf.
“I told him when I presented him the trophy it was special to watch him at home win his sixth Race to Dubai title, and to speak the way he did about my dad after. I had a few tears in my eyes seeing him.”
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An emotional Rory McIlroy couldn’t hold back tears after clinching the Race to Dubai, where he matched Seve Ballesteros’ Order of Merit tally
DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings added: “Rory’s remarkable consistency and success in 2024 is a fitting tribute to the legacy of Seve Ballesteros. To win this award for a fourth time, voted for by his fellow peers, is a reflection of the admiration and regard he holds across our sport.
“His performances last season, particularly his sixth Race to Dubai title and his victories around the world, were nothing short of exceptional. Having Javier Ballesteros present the award in Dubai adds a special significance, bringing the spirit of Seve to this moment.”
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