‘Very humbling’: New Rory McIlroy Award announced for DP World Tour

Five-time major winner Rory McIlroy’s legacy in the annals of European golf was secured long ago. But a historic campaign for 2025, but an exclamation point on the career of one of the greatest golfers in history. Now the DP World Tour is introducing a new annual award in honor of McIlroy’s achievements.

McIlroy spoke at length about the new Rory McIlroy Award ahead of the 2025 DP World Tour Championship, explaining the meaning of the award, its origins and why he can never win it.

What is the Rory McIlroy Award?

When McIlroy finally won his first green jacket at the 2025 Masters in April, he not only fulfilled a lifelong dream of winning at Augusta. He also became only the sixth golfer in history to complete a career Grand Slam, winning all four major golf championships.

But McIlroy is the very first European golfer to accomplish this rare feat. And it is that fact that led to the new price.

Early Tuesday, the DP World Tour announced the establishment of the Rory McIlroy Award “in honor of Europe’s first winner of the Career Grand Slam.”

From 2026 onwards, the award will be presented every year to the DP World Tour player who performs best in the major championships. That will be determined based on Race to Dubai points earned at the majors.

In a press release announcing the new award, McIlroy called the honor “humbling.”

“To have something named after you that will be presented to future generations of players is a tremendous honor and it is deeply humbling,” McIlroy wrote. “I am incredibly proud to be the first European to achieve the Career Grand Slam. The Majors represent the pinnacle of our sport, and I hope my success can inspire other DP World Tour members to pursue and achieve their own dreams in the years to come.”

He continued: “I look forward to seeing who will become the first recipient of this new award in 2026 and it will be another very proud moment for me personally to present the trophy to them.”

Guy Kinnings, CEO of DP World Tour, explained why they felt the time was right to honor McIlroy, despite the fact that he is still in the prime of his career.

“While Rory will undoubtedly achieve many more great things during his career, as a Tour we wanted to commemorate his historic achievement this year: he became the first European winner of the Career Grand Slam,” Kinnings wrote. “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 Rory’s footsteps on golf’s biggest stage.”

Origins of the McIlroy Prize (and why Rory can never win it)

Following the award announcement, McIlroy joined reporters for his pre-tournament press conference at the DP World Tour Championship. And the new price was the first topic that came up.

McIlroy revealed he first heard about the award shortly after his Masters victory in April. When Kinnings approached him with the idea, McIlroy initially felt it was too early in his career to name an award after him.

“When Guy approached us about this after the Masters, my first inclination was that it would be a bit early,” McIlroy explains. “And the more I thought about it, I’m not going to play forever.”

He continued: “So it will still be great to have my name attached to this tour after my playing days, and hopefully have an award named after me that means something for future generations to aspire to.”

There’s one more crucial detail about the Rory McIlroy Award that you need to know: Rory McIlroy can’t win it.

On Tuesday, McIlroy admitted that while it “would be cool” to win his own award, he decided it was best if he wasn’t eligible.

“It would be cool, but I don’t qualify for it,” McIlroy revealed. “I thought it would be better if I wasn’t… I think it was a decision made by all of us. We thought it was best if I didn’t qualify.”

According to the press release, the award will instead honor players who are “seeking replication [McIlroy’s] performance in the four largest individual golf tournaments.”

With his new award behind him, McIlroy now turns his attention to the task at hand. He is the betting favorite at this week’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship as he seeks his seventh Race to Dubai title.

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