The DP World Tour has announced the creation of the Rory McIlroy Award, named after the still-active Northern Irish golfer who became the first European to win the Grand Slam, to recognize the performance of the tour's best player during the season in the four majors.
The award will be given to the golfer in the Race to Dubai with the most points accumulated at the Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and the British Open, tournaments McIlroy has won during his career in 2015; 2012 and 2014; and 2011 and 2014, respectively.
Rory McIlroy, results
With his victory at Augusta this year, McIlroy, at 36 years old, became the sixth man to achieve this feat, joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. The award, which he cannot accept himself as it bears his name, will join the Seve Ballesteros Award, presented annually to the Player of the Year, the Harry Vardon Trophy for the winner of the Race to Dubai, the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award, and the John Jacobs Trophy, awarded to the winner of the Legends Tour Order of Merit.
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"Having something named after you is a great honor and very moving. It certainly means a lot to me because the DP World Tour is where I started my career. I've always loved playing on it and, of course, representing Europe and the Tour at the Ryder Cup. I'm incredibly proud to be the first European to achieve the Grand Slam," said McIlroy.
"The Majors represent the pinnacle of our sport, and I hope my success can inspire other members of the DP World Tour to pursue and achieve their own dreams in the years to come. It will be a moment of great personal pride for me to present the trophy to the winner," he added in a statement released by the DP World Tour.
Guy Kinnings, CEO of the tour, said: While Rory will undoubtedly achieve many more great things throughout his career, we wanted to commemorate his historic achievement this year in becoming the first European to win the Grand Slam. This new award will be a lasting legacy that we hope will inspire future generations of DP World Tour members who aspire to follow in Rorys footsteps on golfs biggest stage.
